Love and the Enemy
by EmonyJade
Summary: When Carlisle and Esme go for a 2 week vacation, they run into trouble and are helped out by a new friend.  What happens when their new friend turns out to be their son's old enemy.  Written in many POV.  Will be a Jasper/OC story. Revised.
1. A Taste of Perfect

I know I'm in the middle of my Seth story right now, but I came up with the idea of this story one evening and just had to get it down on paper. I figured I could at least start it and see where it would led. This will be a Jasper/OC story, but everyone will be in it. This one might be a little more adult themed than "Following Fate". I hope you will like it.

I've actually made some revisions and needed to re-post this story. The name of the OC I will introduce later on bugged me and I had to change it. For those of you following this story, I apologize for the revamp, but I just couldn't deal with things as they were. Hope you like my changes. As always I'd love to hear what you think of it. Also, I don't own twilight...etc.

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**Carlisle POV**

I sat quietly in my office, glancing randomly at the many paintings of my past decorating the walls. Normally when I'm lost in thought, I at least place an open book on my desk to create the illusion that I'm actually doing something. Tonight, I just didn't have it in me to pretend.

Not that it mattered much, since the house was completely empty, except of Esme, who was out in the garden fretting over her newly planted flowers. Most of the kids had gone hunting, but Jacob and Nessie were off visiting Charlie and Billy, while Edward and Bella were staying at their cottage near the old house for a few days. Having an empty house was a rare event for my family, since our numbers had swelled to an all time high five years ago with 8 full vampires, 1 half vampire and a shapeshifter.

We had to move out of Forks shortly after the events with the Volturi, since Bella's new vampire appearance would bring up too many questions from people who had known her before her change. We had not moved far away, however, because of Jacob. It had been very surprising to the entire family that Jacob had accepted my invitation to move out of Forks with us, rather than stay with his pack. He was determined to spend as much time as possible with Nessie. Imprinting had to be powerful to prompt a shapeshifter who was the sworn enemy of vampires to move in with them. We now lived in Canada, where we could start over, but still be within running distance from Jake's family. It had been a tough transition for everyone, but over the last 5 years, he had become one of the coven. Just another adopted teenager for myself and Esme. Even Rosalie had developed a comfortable truce with her new brother. Everything was perfect more-less, we were finally at an even number. Everyone had a companion. Existence was good.

As I looked upon my past vividly displayed on my walls, I corrected my analysis of the present...we were at an all time high, yes, but with 9 full vampires now.

It had been almost 6 months since Alice and Jasper had called the family meeting that would change everything.

Apparently, they knew from the very beginning that they were not meant to be together forever. Alice had seen them meeting and coming to live with us, but she had also seen a time when they would no longer be lovers. They agreed they would stay together until the time came when they would each meet their soulmate. They explained how they loved each other very much, but they knew eventually they would become just friend. Or as it turned out, siblings.

We were all shocked at their revelation. However, we couldn't be mad at them for lying to us, since they really hadn't lied. They never actually told us they were soulmates, we had simply assumed. They obviously loved each other, but they never got married. Not once. Emmett and Rose were getting remarried every time we moved and even Esme and I had been married three times over. Jasper and Alice had simply said they were happy the way things were. Now it all made sense.

No point for vampires to get married if they didn't plan on staying together forever.

The biggest question was, why now? Which Alice had answered by simply saying she had found him.

Alice's true mate was going to join the family in about a month, according to her visions, so she and Jasper decided to split early, to help everyone adjust.

To be honest, I couldn't see how Jasper would be able to deal with having his lover turn to another man so easily, but he took the event better than the rest of the family. He was sad, of course. He and Alice both had a couple of weeks of mourning over the end of an era, but after that, they moved on to act like brother and sister almost seamlessly.

Then Devon arrived. Alice brought him home one evening and introduced him like she had known him all her life.

I had wanted to dislike him, just out of respect to my eldest son, but it turned out Devon fit in with our family perfectly. Even Jasper seemed to liked him.

Devon was about 6 feet tall, with shoulder length blond hair and a build close to Edward's. He was only 5 years into his new existence, but had been turned at the age of 22. It also turned out that he was gifted as well. He was a very talented tracker. With time, he had the potential to easily rival the Volturi's tracker. And to top it all off, he was well accepted by the entire family, including Jacob, and adapted to a 'vegetarian' lifestyle with relative ease. He looked just a bit too old to claim as an adopted teenager, but he and I could easily pull off being brothers.

So now the family stood at 9 full vampires.

We were now the second largest coven of vampires in the world, as far as I knew. I had never imagined when I first set off to live the way I planned, that my way of life would snowball into a full coven. Don't get me wrong, I loved having a big family, but it made coming up with cover stories harder. Of course, adding Jacob and Nessie had given just a bit of variety to our usual pale skin and gold eyes but not blood related routine. Over the last 5 months, we had assimilated Devon into our family and we were now a highly organized unit. Everyone had their back story and knew what relation they were suppose to have with each other. Existence was still good, but one thing still bugged me to no end...Jasper.

We were once again left with an odd number. Not that anyone could get lonely in a family this size, but Esme and I had spent decades worrying about Edward's happiness before he met Bella and now we were back to the drawing board with Jasper. Not that he complained. He seemed perfectly content with his life, as it stood, but I still wanted him to find a companion. I wished nothing but happiness to all of my adoptive children.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice Esme come into the room. She slipped in quietly, leaning on the desk in front of me. I couldn't help but smile up at her. Even after all of these decades, she was still the most beautiful woman I had ever known. I guess love had a way of blinding you to all others. It was true, I only had eyes for her.

"What's got you thinking so hard tonight?" She asked, running her hand gently down my cheek.

I chuckled to myself. "Jasper, as always."

Esme chuckled with me. "You're answer to that question use to be 'Edward, as always'." She took my chin in her hand, turning my head so I was looking fully at her. "Jasper will be fine. He's happy with things as they are. He knows he'll find his someone special someday. Alice has seen that he will and we all know better than to doubt Alice."

I took Esme's hand in mine, kissing it gently. "You're right, of course. I just worry. I want everyone to be happy."

"And they are happy. I'd tell you to stop worrying, but after all these years, I know better. You can't stop worrying about all of us. It's not in your nature." She stood away from the desk, taking a seat across my lap. "It's one of the reason's I love you so much." She pressed her lips to mine, then rested her forehead on my forehead. "Now, if I can pause your worrying for just a moment, we can discuss our trip."

I was to attend a medical conference in Mississippi for three days and Esme and I had decided to make it into a 2 week vacation. We so rarely were alone anymore. All the kids had thought it was a wonderful idea and I did long for a few days alone with my wife. I was still a man with needs, after all. It wasn't like we only had sex when we were not in earshot of the others. To do that would mean we would rarely ever have sex. Such was life in a large coven of people with sensitive ears. The sex was just better when we knew we were totally alone. We didn't have to hold back.

I cradled Esme closer to my chest. "Well, I've already rented the house and bought the plane tickets, so we're basically ready to go."

Esme smiled a devilish smile at me. "You do know, we have the house all to ourselves right now. We could do some practicing for our alone time in Mississippi."

No further words were needed. I scooped her up, carrying her bridal style out of my office. Sometimes it was wonderful not having to breath. It meant you never had to stop a kiss.

Needless to say, Esme made sure I stopped worrying, at least for one night.

To Be Continued.

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There it is, the first chapter. I wanted to break up Alice and Jasper, but I like the Alice character so much, I just couldn't have her die or cheat on him etc. I figured this would make it possible to still like Alice, even though she's not with Jasper in this story.

Please read and review. I'm not sure where I'll go with this one, but I promise you'll enjoy the ride!


	2. Happy

Here is the next chapter. I wanted to get Jasper's feeling out before I got into the meat of the story. Hope you like. As always, I don't own Twilight...

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**Jasper POV **

I was amazingly content considering all the things that had happened over the last 6 months.

It was upsetting, of course, to be breaking up with Alice. Even though we knew it would happen some day, it was still difficult. Fortunately, we were prepared for it and it went fairly smoothly once Alice brought Devon home. She had told him about me and about all the things that had happened to us in the decades we had spent as a couple. He took it all in stride.

In fact, he seemed to take special effort to become the best brother to me that he could. I had to admit, he was a good guy. He wasn't overly confident with himself yet, since he was still a relatively new vampire, but he was willing to listen and learn from all of us. And his talent with tracking might come in handy someday.

I got the distinct impression that some of the family wanted to hate him. Carlisle especially seemed to want to hold some dislike to the newcomer out of solidarity to me. I was touched that our leader was willing to do something totally out of his nature just for my sake, but it was ultimately impossible and unnecessary. Devon was just the type of guy I would have picked out for Alice. The emotions they were emitting were too strong to believe they were meant to be anything but soulmates.

You just gotta love how fate works sometimes.

As for me, I was actually kinda enjoying my new, single life. I had been single before, but never when I was a part of a tight knit coven. And certainly never when I was in this much control of myself and my actions. I was grateful to Alice for taking me with her on her journey to find this life and she would always be my best friend for it.

I had moved to my own room on the other side of our house. Alice had offered to be the one to move rooms, but I figured since she had far more possessions than I did, it only made sense for me to move. Besides, I actually enjoyed setting up my room to my tastes. I did everything in a forest green color. Green had always been very calming to me. I bought a few paintings of wilderness scenes to hang on the walls and I kept several photos of my family on the desk and the shelves.

I particularly liked the picture I had of me holding Nessie. It was taken shortly after the incident with the Volturi that had almost cost all of us our lives.

Over the past few years, I had become very fond of my niece. Since I no longer spend as much time with Alice, I found myself spending many hours with Nessie and Jacob. I had always thought Jake didn't like me very much, but it turned out he just thought of me as the biggest threat to his pack. Once he had joined our family, he and I became pretty good friends. We enjoyed sparring, which made Bella nervous, but amused Nessie to no end. She liked to watch her Jacob and her Uncle Jazz 'tussle' as she liked to call it. Sometimes Emmett or Edward would join in on the tusslein'. Devon even enjoyed it, once he was comfortable enough to trust we wouldn't hurt him.

I also enjoyed a new found friendship with Bella. She and I had never been close while she was human, since it was such an effort for me not to kill her for her blood. She had never been comfortable with me around. I couldn't blame her, since I was usually a none breathing, none talking zombie when she was near. It was just a precaution I took to keep her safe, but it didn't help us become friends. Now that she was a vampire, we actually got to talk comfortably with each other and found conversations came easily. Edward was thrilled Bella and I got along. Bella being human had put a lot of strain on Edward and my relationship.

As for Ed, he was a new man now that he wasn't constantly worrying about Bella's safety. He's much more pleasant to be around, particularly for me, since his emotions are so much more positive these days. Not to mention that fatherhood suited him nicely.

Over all, we all were able to find a nice happy normal to fall into. Only one thing wasn't right.

Before Edward found Bella, Esme and Carlisle were constantly worrying about his happiness. It appeared they had recycled those habits into my new single status. What my adoptive parents didn't realized was that Edward's time being single and mine were nothing alike. Ed had never had a mate before. He had been alone from the time Carlisle made him until the day he met Bella. I, on the other hand, had been with Alice for almost a century. It had only been about 6 months since we split and I was still enjoying being single. Not that I didn't want to find my soulmate, but I was in no hurry and I didn't feel alone or neglected by being the only single person in the family. It wasn't like everyone was out doing each other and I was left alone twiddling my thumbs. Nessie, even with her accelerated growth, was still just barely getting to be a teenager. It would be years still before Bella and Edward would allow her and Jacob to act as more than friends. I also found that the sexually active members of the family were more careful of their activities with the young ones living under the same roof. Things were fine as they were right now. I just wish there was a way to convince Carlisle and Esme of this. I hated that they worried so.

They deserved the little vacation they were planning.

Edward had eavesdropped on Carlisle's thoughts one night and discovered he was planning on going to Mississippi to a medical seminar for 3 days. Ed shared this with us and we all agreed that it would be a perfect opportunity for our adoptive parents to take a well earned break from the rest of us. It didn't take much for Alice, Bella and Rosalie to talk Esme into convincing her husband to take a two week vacation with her after his seminar.

Hopefully, the old saying 'out of sight, out of mind' held true for their worrying.

To be continued...


	3. Vacation?

Here's Chapter 3. I'll introduce a new character in this one. As always, I don't own. If you get a moment, send a review my way...I love ideas on my stories... particularly this one, since I"m not sure what will happen next.

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**Esme POV**

It had been a wonderful first week of our vacation. Carlisle spent the first 3 days in the city, attending the medical conference on the new advances in cardiothoracic surgery. That was one of the benefits of being an immortal in the medical field, there were always new techniques and procedures to learn. Carlisle never got bored learning everything there was to know about medicine. It brought him happiness and if my mate was happy, I was happy. I spend those first 3 days at the cabin he had rented for us. It was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a dense natural forest. It was beautiful and the wildlife was abundant. It was the perfect vacation spot for a couple of vegetarian vampires.

For the last 4 days after the conference, Carlisle and I spent our time mostly relaxing and hunting. The sex was also exceptional. Being truly alone had its perks.

We were out in the dense forest, hunting some of the local prey animals, when we smelt and heard them. Vampires, three or four of them. Carlisle stopped me short as he took in the scent.

"Hmm. Could be trouble." He looked over at me without much concern in this eyes. "Hopefully they're just nomads running through. We probably won't have any problems with them, but be cautious anyway."

I nodded my head and waited quietly with my husband as the 4 vampires came into sight. There were two men and two women. They seemed to be 2 mated pairs. The first pair had long blond hair, while the second pair both had dark hair and skin. Their eyes were the deep red of the traditional vampire. They approached slowly, stopping a few feet from where we stood.

"Good evening." Carlisle greeted.

The blond male nodded his head in acknowledgement. "You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, glaring at us, unsure.

"No, my wife and I are on vacation. He are staying at a house in the area."

"Vacation? Really." He replied, looking over to his mate, then back at us. "I didn't know our kind took vacations. Tell me, why are your eyes that color?"

"Myself, my wife and the rest of our coven do not eat human blood. He sustain ourselves with animal blood only. It makes our eyes appear gold rather than red."

The female blond wrinkled her nose slightly. "Why would you want to feed off of animals. It sounds so unappetizing." She took the male's hand, leaning against his side.

Carlisle tried to explain. "We do if for ethical reasons. We do no wish to kill humans. We do our best not to be monsters. It really is a satisfying way of life in the long run."

The dark male snorted. Obviously he didn't think much of our lifestyle.

"But we are monsters." The blond male stated, his stance becoming less friendly. Carlisle tensed, but remained calm.

"We don't have to be." Carlisle replied, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Honey, I'm really getting bored with this." The blond female whispered into her mate's ear. He chuckled.

"As am I, sweetness." He looked deep into her eyes, then back at us. "I believe this could be a great opportunity for our colleges." The blond motioned to the two vampires behind him. "You see, these two are new to this life. They are merely 2 months old and they know very little about us. One thing they need to learn is how to fight off rival vampires. You both appear to be exceptionally civilized. You should be easy practice for them."

In an instant, both of the young vampires lowered themselves to a crouch, baring their teeth...

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**MEANWHILE, ALSO IN THE FOREST...**

I took a deep breath of the evening air as I scanned the forest with my sensitive leopard eyes.

I had been tracking the 4 vampires for several miles. I was downwind of them, so they had yet to smell me and I was far enough back that my movements were easily masked by the other sounds of the forest. The fact that they were unaware of my presence proved to me that they were all young. The two dark vampires were obviously newborn, but the blonds could only be 40, maybe 50 years into their immortal lives.

Taking them down wouldn't be a problem.

I crept along slowly, my pure black hide and black spots blending flawlessly into the darkening forest. All I had to do now was keep my distance until I got my moment to strike.

I'd only lived in Mississippi for just over a year. I didn't set down roots very often. It was just easier when one didn't age to not make friends or stay in one area very long. You got less questions that way. Not that I didn't do my part during my short stay. I tired to kill any nomadic vampires that happened to cross my path. I considered it doing my good deed for the world. The best kind of vampire, after all, was a dead one. Reduced to a pile of ash dead.

I tracked the vamps for about another half hour before I caught the scent of two more vampires. It was weird, though. The new scents were different somehow. They were definitely vampires, but their scent wasn't as sickly sweet at the four I tracked. Don't get me wrong, they still stank to high heaven, but it was just a tad less offensive. Interesting.

I paused when I heard the 4 young vamps approach the newcomers. I slunk slowed over until I was within hearing and visual distance of the group.

The first thing I noticed about the new vamps was their clothes. Unlike the four nomads, who wore tattered, time beaten cloths, the new vampires wore nice clothes. They looked expensive and not the least bit tattered. As I appraised them, I also noticed their eyes. They weren't the blood red of a vampire. They were a liquid gold color. It gave them a more human look.

I sat quietly as I listened to their conversation.

So, they were animal drinkers? Huh? I didn't know vampires could survive on animal blood. I listened more closely to the gold eyed male. He sounded old. He spoke like he was several centuries past his human birthday, his voice containing a subtle accent. From what I could tell, he was trying not the fight the four vampires. That was very interesting.

Now I'd seen it all. Two vampires who not only didn't kill humans, but also didn't want to fight other vampires. This could work to my advantage. If I let the vampires fight, I was positive at least one or two of the red eyed vamps would be killed in the fray before the gold eyed vamps were overcome by being outnumbered. It would make my job so much easier. For some reason, however, I found myself pulled towards helping the gold eyes instead of allowing them to fight alone. I really couldn't say way. I must be getting soft in my old age.

I crept just a little closer as I watched the two newborns both go into fighting crouches.

I chuckled to myself as I charged them.

I took out the newborn female with ease. It was amazing how effortless it was to remove her head from her shoulders. The other newborn didn't even have time to try and protect his female before she was gone.

I looked over at the other vampires and saw that the two older vamps were fighting the gold eyes. It appeared that even though the gold eyes were more civilized, they still knew a thing or two about fighting. I returned my attention to the male newborn. He was fighting like a typical newborn. He had no technique or strategy. He was fast and agile, but I had been fighting vampires for nearly 140 years. My skills nullified his newborn strength. It took only a matter of seconds for me to remove his head as well.

I looked over to the other fight just in time to see the gold eyed male dispatch the blond male then turn to his mate and help her end the life of the blond female. Job done, nice and clean. I didn't even get bit.

I eyed the 2 remaining vampires, keeping several feet between us. I was now in a bit of a predicament. I should have just killed them too and left it at that, but for some reason, I didn't want to. Call it a feeling. We all remained perfectly still. It's eerie how still a vampire can stand. The male finally raised a hand slowly.

"It's OK. We have no desire to fight you." He stated with his calm, accented voice.

OK, so I wasn't going to fight them. What was I going to do, then? I wanted to shift into human form and burn the dead vamps with my trusty lighter... never leave home without one. The only problem was the pain. It would take me a few seconds to shift and get over the pain before I could defend myself. They could kill me easily. I focused on them for a few more seconds, then made my decision.

Fuck it. What was life without some risk. Hopefully tonight wasn't the night curiosity killed the cat.

I took a deep breath and allowed my body to relax. I could feel my bones and muscles begin to reform, taking on a human shape. It really was an odd sensation, having ones bones and muscles take on a different structure. A bit uncomfortable, perhaps, but the act itself wasn't painful. Once again in human form, I felt the burning run through my veins. I doubled over slightly, supporting my weight on a nearby tree. I tried to keep my eyes on the vampires as much as I could manage as I waited for the burning to stop. Was I going mad, or did they look concerned for me?

After about 10 seconds, the burning subsided and I straightened myself out. I looked intently at the vampires with my human eyes.

"Are you alright?" the female vamp asked, her musical voice thick with concern.

"I'm fine." I replied bluntly. "Were your telling the truth to the red eyed vampires when you said you only eat animal blood?" No point beating around the bush.

"Yes." The male confirmed in his still calm voice. "My name is Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife, Esme. Thank you for your assistance."

I was being thanked by a vampire. Wow, now I'd really seen everything.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I was planning on killing them anyway. You made my job easier." I rubbed my neck forcefully. The burning always make my neck tense and the muscle in my neck was currently doing the cha cha.

"Are you sure you're OK." The male, Carlisle asked. "I'm a doctor, if you're hurt I might be able to help."

I mouth dropped open. A doctor!

"Hold on a sec, blondie. Did you just say you're a doctor. Like a human doctor?"

"Yes, I'm a doctor. More accurately, a surgeon."

I let loose a laugh I couldn't hold anymore. "So, you're a vampire, but yet you operate on humans. Like cut them open and touch their blood and everything? How in the living hell do you manage that."

Carlisle smiled, looking over affectionately at this wife, then back at me "I've had many many decades of practice."

I considered this for a moment. "Well, fuck me sideways. Now I've seen it all." I paced in front of them a few times, then stopped and looked over to them again. "My name is Johona, by the way." I added.

"It's nice to meet you, Johona." The woman, Esme greeted. I didn't really know what to say. This was by far the strangest day I'd ever had in my very long life.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Getting back to my original question, are you OK? You seemed to be in pain after you shifted."

I took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled deeply. I was already in, I might as well go all the way.

"Yes, I was in pain. I get a burning sensation all over my body whenever I change shape from leopard to human. I've been shifting for almost 154 years, but the burning started a year or so ago."

"Do you know why?" Carlisle asked, interest in his voice.

"No clue. I just live with it. It's not like I can just go into an ER and say ' hey, I get this burning pain in my veins every time I shift from my leopard form to my human form. Can you help me with that.' "

"I might be able to help you." Carlisle offered. "If you'd let me take a blood sample, I might be able to discover why you are having this pain."

I glared at him, confusion in my eyes. "Why would you help me?"

"I help people for a living. Be them humans or shapeshifters it really doesn't matter. Its what I do with my existence."

I was tempted. It would be so nice to be able to shift freely again without the pain. How many other doctors would I meet who could actually help me, considering what I was.

"Why should I trust you?" I asked, skeptical.

"My husband is telling the truth. You can trust us. We mean you no harm." Esme's voice was calm and soothing. More importantly, I could see no lie in her eyes. I had a talent for spotting a liar by the look of their eyes.

"Very well, I'll let you take your sample." I agreed. "Just don't try anything. I like my blood where it is."

"We're staying in a cabin just a mile or so west of here."

I nodded, taking the lighter out of my pocket. With the vampire's help, we got the vampire pieces into a pile and I set them alight. After making sure the fire wasn't going to get out of control, I shifted into my black leopard form and followed the good doctor and his wife.

I was really hoping i didn't come to regret my decision to trust these strange creatures...

To Be continued.

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Let me know what you think? I'm still debating on where to go with it.


	4. Help and Trust

It's been awhile since I've updated this story. I've been working so hard on Following Fate that I've neglected this story. I had an inspiration and managed another chapter. Hope you like. Don't own Twilight.

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**Johona POV**

So there I was, following a pair of vampires back to their lair so they could take a sample of my blood.

There were so many things wrong with that statement I didn't know where to begin. First, I was following vampires. More importantly, I was following a pair of vampires, without the intention of killing either of them. Second, I was going to allow them to take a sample of my blood. That tiny voice in my head was screaming itself hoarse right now. It was saying 'What the fuck on gods green earth are you doing! Go find your damn head, screw the fucker back on, kill the vampires like a good little shapeshifter, then move the fuck on with your life!'. Unfortunately, I was currently ignoring that little voice. I had squished it under my desire to once again be able to shift without pain.

The only thing I could find the mind power to think, at the moment, was that I really hoped the vampire doc used a needle to take the blood, not his teeth.

Just goes to show that even my unconscious self had a sick and twisted sense of humor. Not to mention that my inner voice had a bit of a potty mouth.

It only took a few minutes to get to the cabin. It was a nice place. The vampires got there about a minute before I did, so I got a chance to size them up before joining them on the porch. Something had been buggin' me since we met and I wasn't sure what it was until I saw them waiting for me...they looked human.

Usually, you could pick a vampire out of a crowd of humans easily, if you knew what to look for. Besides the red eyes and pale skin, they just didn't look right. They didn't blink enough, didn't breath enough, they stood too ridged and too still. You could just tell they didn't belong. These vamps were different. They both blinked and breathed like a human would. They also moved and fidgeted like humans who were waiting patiently. Carlisle was lightly tapping the railing of the porch, while his wife ran her fingers through her hair. They just looked like two people standing out on their deck. It wasn't until you got closer that you begin to feel the slight sense of fear everyone got from being that close to a predator. It was an unconscious thing for most people. These vamps didn't give off as much of a 'stay away' vibe as most do, but it was still there subtly under the surface.

I reached the deck, shifting back to human form next to the stairs. I used the railing as support, clenching my teeth against the burning. I kept my eyes on the vampires and once again they seems to have worried looks on their faces. It was like they had to fight not to run over and support me while the burning ran it's course. Taking a deep breath, I joined them on the deck. Carlisle ushered me towards the door.

"Please, come in. I have the supplies in my emergency kit to take a blood sample." He stepped in first, followed by his wife, as I brought up the rear. They didn't seem to mind me being at their backs or mind that I didn't trust them to be at mine. I followed them into the kitchen, taking a seat with Esme as Carlisle ran upstairs at vampire speed. He returned moments later with a small vial, a syringe, an alcohol swab, a cotton ball and a rubber band to go around my arm. It certainly looked like he knew what he was doing. He sat in front of me, preparing to start the procedure. I held up my hand.

"You and your wife will be OK with my blood being out and about, right?" I asked, looking between them. "It would be very unpleasant to have my blood be liking ringing a dinner bell."

Carlisle chuckled. "We both have very tight control. Besides, in my experience with shapeshifters, your blood will probably hold no attraction to us."

"Alrighty then. Have at me." I replied, sticking my arm out so the doc could take his blood sample. The whole process took less than a minute, so I didn't have time to change my mind. He found my vein first try and had the blood in the vial before I could even register the prick of the needle. Damn, he was good. He held the vial up to his eye, examining it closely.

"Well, its appearance looks normal." He looked up at me. "I'll need to go over to the hospital and examine it before I will know if your pain is being caused by your blood." He looked over to Esme with a concerned expression on his face. "Will you be OK here for an hour or so?" He asked.

"We'll be fine here, dear." She looked over at me. "If she wanted to kill us, I have a feeling she would have done it back in the woods. You go and see what you can discover." Esme's voice was calm and reassuring. Carlisle smiled at her, then grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and headed out the front door. I called to him before he left.

"You are going to be careful with that blood, right?"

"Not to worry, Johona. You're secret is safe with me as long as ours is safe with you."

I sighed and nodded. He nodded back and left the house.

"Well..." Esme got up from her seat. "Would you like something to drink? Water, coffee, soda, iced tea?"

I gave her a look like she had just grown a second head. "You have refreshments in the house? That's kinda unusual for a vampire, isn't it?"

"It's true we don't eat or drink, but when you live around humans, you need to be prepared. I keep just a few things around just in case we have humans come by for some reason. It's become more of a necessity these days, since we have a half vampire and a shapeshifter in our family, so I'm use to keeping human food around anyway."

"In that case, I'll have an Iced Tea. Thank you. It surprises me that you actually live with others who are not vamps." I replied, taking the glass she offered me.

Esme nodded in understanding as she returned to her seat. "It's a long story. We are a very unique coven, that is true."

I took a sip of my tea and to my surprise, it was good. "Well, I guess since we have time, can I ask some more questions? I mean, you're the first vampires I've met like you. I'm curious."

"Certainly, dear. Ask anything."

Where to start, where to start.

"First off, you're husband said back in the woods that both of you and your coven are all animal drinkers. How many of you are there?"

Esme smiled at the mention of her coven. "There are 11 of us total in our family. All of the vampires are animal drinkers, or as we call ourselves, vegetarians. Some of us have been this way from the beginning. Like Carlisle, for example, he's never fed off a human."

I was shocked. "Really? Never? Not once, even by accident?"

"Nope, not in almost 400 years. He was turned by a vampire who was running away, so he was entirely alone when he turned. He knew what he was and was terrified he might hurt someone, so he kept away from humans. By accident he discovered that he could survive on animal blood, that he didn't have to be a monster. From that day forward, he ate animals and passed his knowledge on to every vampire he's made or who has decided to join us on their own. Of course, there have been slip ups, particularly as newborns or when first trying to switch from human to animal, but for the most part we do well at keeping to the diet."

"Why?" I asked, truly confused. "Why would a vampire want to eat only animal blood when the temptation to eat human blood has to be powerful."

Esme looked at me, confused as well.

"I mean, I know it's an ethical choice, but there has to be other reasons. I can't imagine that animal blood tastes better than human blood."

"There are other reasons." Esme tried to explain. "Having gold eyes and an ability to be around humans allows us to live in a area for 10-15 years. We can live more/less normal lives. We can contribute to society. Carlisle works at the hospital. He's been a doctor for most of his existence and finds a great deal of happiness in the work. Most of the vampires in our family were turned at a younger age, late teens to early twenties. They go to high school or college as our adoptive kids. I can volunteer for charities or restore historic buildings. We live as a family as normally as we can. Once be begin to stop looking our ages, we pick up and move to another place, with new identities. We all find it very fulfilling."

"Wow, I really don't know what to say." I was beyond astonished. "I never realized it was possible for vampires to be truly civilized around humans." I continued to look directly into her eyes. "You're being completely honest with me, too, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm very proud of my family." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Can I ask you something?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You've answered my questions, I might as well answer some of yours. What do you want to know?"

To Be Continued...

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Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.


	5. Sharing the Past

Woo Hoo, chapter five! I bet your thought I forgot about this story. Well, shame on you for thinking such a thing. I recently read a very good Jasper fiction which inspired me to update this story. Anyway, I've revised all the previous chapters and changed a name. Go back and read again, if you'd like. If not, then it's on with the story. Let me know what you think...I don't own Twilight...

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**Carlisle POV**

It was a classic stereotype, but it seemed to hold true for the second time in my existence. In all of those books and movies, vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies. It was true with my family and the La Push pack, at least for a time, and it seems to be true with this new shapeshifter as well. Granted, she wasn't a werewolf, but I didn't think the species of the wereanimal made any difference to the general feeling of hate.

I was reluctant to leave Esme alone with Johona, considering how effective she was at killing vampires, but the girl seemed in genuine pain. The doctor in me couldn't let a person suffer if there was anything I could do to help stop it. Esme seemed confident that they would be ok alone and my mate wasn't one to put herself in dangerous situations needlessly. Truth be told, she probably felt as much compassion for the girl as I did.

With this thought in mind, I drove to the hospital. Hopefully Johona's blood held the secret to her pain.

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**Esme POV**

I sat across the table from Johona and watched her closely as she asked her questions. She seemed very interested about us and kept total eye contact while I spoke. I had a feeling it had nothing to do with respect, but more that she was trying to catch me in a lie. Like she could tell by my eyes if I was lying to her.

Fortunately, I had no reason to lie. I was very proud of my family and our lifestyle. As we talked, I found myself generating questions of my own. She was a different kind of shapeshifter than our Jacob. He would love to be able to have his clothes shift with him. Having to tie his shorts to his leg has always been an annoyance to him.

Lost in my train of thought, it took me a moment to realize that Johona was waiting for me to ask her questions. I refocused myself, organizing the questions I had for her in my head.

"You don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable with. I'm just curious and it's not like we have much to do while we wait for Carlisle to return."

Johona smiled at me. "It's ok. You've been honest with me. I'll be honest with you."

I returned her smile. "How old are you? Have you always been able to shift or is it something you learned to do later in life?"

Johona leaned back in her chair, getting more comfortable.

"I'm one hundred and fifty four and I first shifted when I was only a couple of weeks old. It freaked my parents out, I'll tell you that. One minute their precious angel was lying in front of them, the next, a clumsy leopard cub. Fortunately for me, they didn't do what many would have done back then and just left me out in the woods to be eaten by wolves."

She sifted at 2 weeks old? I was stunned. I could tell she had more to say, so I waited patiently for her to continue.

"I think the main reason they couldn't just throw me away was because they tried so hard to have me. They wanted children very badly and it took them years to have a pregnancy stick. My mom had several miscarriages before I was born. I may not have been perfect, but I was still their baby girl. They took special measures to keep me hidden until I was old enough to be able to control my shifting, so I didn't accidentally change in front of a stranger. Once I was five or so, I could control myself and they allowed me to socialize with other children. They warned me about the things that would happen if anyone were to find out about me. Even back then, I understood that being different wasn't necessarily a good thing."

"Made you grow up pretty fast, I bet." I replied, watching her as she thought back to her childhood.

"Yes, I had to be responsible for my own actions very early in life. And I was careful. I slipped up only once and I imagine my life would be a whole lot different if I hadn't." Johona's voice was sad as she said these words. She carried a great weight, that was for sure.

"This is difficult for you." I soothed. "You don't need to explain any more. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Johona shook her head. "It's ok. I want to tell you. I've never told anyone any of this. This is the first opportunity I've ever had to tell someone who won't run screaming from it."

I nodded. "In that case, I'll be happy to listen. Take your time." Johona took several deep breaths before she continued, like she was trying to convince herself it was ok to talk about her past to a complete stranger. Or maybe she was trying to convince herself it was ok to tell her past to a vampire.

"I was fourteen. I was alone out in the woods running around in leopard form. It was one of my favorite activities, since I didn't make friends easily. I much perferred being on my own and my parents didn't fight me on it. It was safer for us all for me to keep to myself. Anyway, that day I hadn't realized that I wasn't alone in the woods. A vampire was watching me. She witnessed me shift." Johona leaned closer to me. "I'm not sure what you know about that time period, but in the south there were all kinds of territorial disputes going on among your kind. A lot of fighting for feeding grounds and what not."

"Yes, I know about the wars. One of my adoptive sons was created during that time. He was involved with the newborn armies. He's told us much about of his experiences."

"Well, good, you'll understand what I'm talking about. This vampire saw me and instantly thought weapon. She tracked my scent back to my home while I was out running." Johona looked down, suddenly finding the table fascinating. She traced her finger along the grain of the wood. "She killed my parents and burning our house and farm to the ground. She ambushed me when I returned, not that she had to. I was so devastated that I couldn't have ran or fought her."

I gasped. I wanted to reach out and touch her hand, to console her in some way, but I was fairly certain I would be crossing a line.

"The vampire told me what she was. She gave me two options, to join her or to die slowly and painfully. I was just a kid, terrified out of my mind so I went with her. She called me her pet, even though I was treated more like a slave. She had me trained to fight newborn vampires. For the next few decades that was my life. I fought in the vampire wars, hoping someday I'd find a way out. At first, I did my best to get myself killed. Unfortunately, the other vampires in my masters service did everything in their power to keep me alive. No one wanted to face the master if they were the one who let me die."

Johona looked up and smiled at me. It was almost a wicked smile.

"Having failed in my attempts to die, I decided to take advantage of my situation. If she wanted a killer, I'd give her one. I eagerly learned everything anyone would teach me. It didn't take long for me to become extremely proficient in both fighting and killing. I can fight almost as well in human form as I can in leopard form. I can even switch between the two in mid fight. In short, I became the perfect weapon."

Johona took my eyes at that moment, as if to see if I would bolt in fear. I looked back at her with as much understanding as I could manage.

"After a few decades, I was able to find my opening and escape. Now I travel around, making money here and there, killing as many vampires as I can find. Most of the smart ones have enough sense to keep their dining activities low key. I usually end up just picking off the new ones." She gave me a look of concern. "I mean no offense to what you are, of course."

I held up a hand. "No offense taken. You did what you needed to do to survive with your sanity intact. You still do it because it's what you know. I appreciate the honesty."

Before more could be said, I heard a car pull up and moments later, Carlisle walked in. He seemed excited.

"Well, ladies, I believe I may have solved the mystery."

To Be Continued...

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So, what ya'll think? I've got the next chapter written already, so an update will be fairly quick to come. Drop me a review if you get a chance. If enough people comment, I might update faster...tee hee.


	6. How to Proceed

Next chapter is up, finally. Sorry it took so long. Life suddenly happened, as it always does. Hope you are enjoying the story. I don't own Twilight...

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**Johona POV**

Carlisle was excited when he walked in the door. I wasn't sure if it was because of his desire to help me or because I represented a new and interesting challenge. Ultimately, the cause of his excitement didn't matter to me, as long as he could make the pain go away.

"Good news?" Esme asked, getting up from the table to join her husband in the living room. I got up as well and followed. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I couldn't help feeling just a tiny bit hopeful.

"Good, in that I think I've figured out what is causing Johona's pain and that I have a plan on how to treat it, but..."He looked over at me. "not so good in that you'll have to put a great deal of trust in me and my honest desire to help you."

I sighed out the breath I was holding. "Give it to me straight, Doc."

Carlisle motioned for us all to sit. He took the chair closest to the door, while his wife sat on the arm of the couch closest to her mate.

I sank slowly into the chair across from the Doc, waiting for him to continue. Trust wasn't something I gave out lightly, but I was willing to listen to what he had to say. They had both been totally honest with me so far.

"First, a question." Carlisle started. "How many vampire bites have your received in your life?"

I eyed the Doc, confused. That wasn't exactly a question I had expected him to ask. It wasn't an easy question, either. I'd been fighting vampires for over a hundred years and I didn't keep a tally on the number of bites I received.

"I don't know an exact number. Probably a few hundred times, I'd guess. The venom stings a little, but it's never been a problem. Only left a scar once and that was the very first bite I every got. Why?"

The Doc leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasped his hand together in a very doctor like way and looked me straight in the eye. "Your blood is highly contaminated with vampire venom. Honestly, you must have one hell of an immune system to handle it without any more obvious complications. I've never seen anything like it."

"How's that possible?" Esme asked. "If she's immune to the venom, her body should just naturally remove it from her system. How did it get there?"

The female vamp took the words right out of my mouth.

Carlisle leaned back into his chair, taking a more relaxed posture. "I'm guessing that each time you got bit, your body automatically attacked the venom, neutralized it and removed it from your system, but a tiny fraction of it remained stuck in your blood stream. It couldn't multiply, but it couldn't be removed either. Over time, tiny fraction after tiny fraction began to accumulate. You only feel pain when you shift from animal to human, not vice versa, correct?"

I nodded.

"I'm guessing that when you shift from human to animal, your veins are larger and are able to handle the venom load. When you shift back, that venom is forced into smaller veins. Even though it's inactive venom, it still holds the properties of active venom. When it's compressed, it causes your pain receptors to fire. It's the only explanation I can think of."

"Can you remove the venom? Separate it from my blood, somehow?" I asked, genuinely concerned. This didn't sound good. Not good at all.

"I'm afraid not. The only way to remove the venom is to remove the blood. Which leads me to my idea for a possible treatment."

"Hold up one second there, Doc." I said, standing up. "You just said the only way to remove the venom was to remove the blood, which means that the treatment involves..."

"Replacing your blood, yes." Carlisle confirmed before I could finish.

"No! No, no, no! Taking a sample of blood is one thing, but taking out all of it is a whole other ball of wax! That's insane." I was near hysterics by this point. The damned leech wanted to drain me of my blood! "I knew this was a bad idea." I mumbled under my breath as I began to plan my exit strategy.

Carlisle put a hand up to calm me and I stopped my rant long enough for him to explain.

"I don't plan to take out all of it at one time. Even with your shapeshifter immune system, that would kill you. We'd have to remove it slowly, take a percentage out and replace it with clean blood, then do the procedure again a few weeks later. It's more a dilution of the venom over time than a removal, since it would be impossible to remove it all. Hopefully we can dilute it enough to at least ease the pain, if not stop it entirely. After all, you did say this started happening a short time ago. It might not take much diluting to stop the pain. Of course, you'll have to try to prevent future bites, otherwise this will only be a temporary fix. Also, if you choose not to treat the problem, it's possible other symptoms will develop over time as the venom load increases with each bite. I have no idea what could happen. It could kill you, or it could even change you. There is no way of knowing for sure."

I sat back down, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. This was madness. My inner voice was telling me to suck it up and just live with the pain, while the rest of me was seriously considering allowing a vampire to drain my blood. True, it was just pain now, but what if I got so much venom in my system that I start to change? I could become what I hate most. I must have been quiet for a while, since the Doc spoke up before my mind could form a coherent thought.

"I know it's a hard decision to make. You'd be placing your life in a complete stranger's hands. Not to mention that the stranger is a vampire. It's alot to think about, but you have some time. Esme and I will be staying here for another week. Our flight back to Canada doesn't leave until next Friday afternoon. Take some time and consider your options. Just know we mean you no harm. I'll guarantee your safety while you're around my family and you can leave at any time. I'll even buy you your return plane ticket in advance. We have nothing but your best interests at heart."

"We'll see." I said, getting up from my seat and heading for the door. "I'll think about it. If I'm not back here by the time you leave for the airport, you can consider it me declining your offer." I opened the door, but stopped before exiting. "Thank you." I said softly as I shut the door behind me. I shifted to cat and ran off into the darkness, my mind heavy with deep thoughts and a big decision to make.

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To Be Continued...

So, what ya think? Let me know. Love you all.


	7. Prepare

Here's the next chapter. I've actually managed to update all three of my stories...woo hoo, I'm on a roll now! Hope you like.

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**Carlisle POV**

The rest of our vacation went by without any further incident. We had fun and relaxed, but in the back of our minds we kept thinking about Johona. It wasn't until Friday afternoon, while we loaded our rental car for the trip to the airport, that we voiced our concern.

"I don't think she's coming." Esme stated sadly.

My wife really was an amazing woman, having such sadness for a complete stranger. I smiled back at her.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if she'd take us up on our offer or not." Esme had told me about Johona's past after she left our house. "She's had her life uprooted and torn apart by vampires on more than one occasion. It would be extremely difficult for her to trust us enough to let me treat her. Over a hundred years of hatred can't be overlooked in one evening."

Esme nodded. "I know, but it'll be hard to go home and leave an innocent woman down here who is suffering, knowing we could have helped her."

I wrapped Esme in a supportive hug. "Well, at least she knows that help is out there. Maybe someday, she'll look us up. Or maybe she'll find a doctor on her own who she trusts. Stranger things have happened."

We both turned as we heard a car approach. A cab stopped at the end of the driveway and Johona stepped out. She paid the driver and walked towards us, a small backpack slung over her shoulder.

I smiled to her in greeting. "Cutting it pretty close. We were just about to leave."

Johona gave me a nervous nod. "It took me two tries to get in a cab. Let's just leave before I change my mind again."

Hearing this, Esme and I quickly finished loading the car and we were off.

"One quick question, Johona, do you have a passport?"

"I have a driver's license, but no passport." she replied.

"In that case, we'll fly to Seattle and run into Canada. Once over the border, we'll have someone pick us up." I explained.

"Woo Hoo, smuggle me in!" Johona joked, throwing her arms in the air. Esme and I both chuckled at her humor. I was just how Emmett would respond. "Sorry, just trying to burn off some of my nerves. Being obnoxious helps me relax."

"Don't worry about it, dear." Esme said, turning around to look at our guest. "With a family the size of ours, we've seen it all. You'll fit right in."

"Are ALL of your family gonna be there when I arrive. To be honest, I've never been around that many vampires before without having the intention of killing them. Even when I lived with them, I always looked at them as possible targets."

"Don't worry, I'll call ahead and make sure they don't descend upon us all at once." I reassured her. "We'll do whatever we can to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible."

From there, we enjoyed a quiet, if not slightly awkward, trip north.

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**Alice POV**

I sat quietly in the living room as Devon and Emmett argued over who had won on some video game they were playing. This made me smile. Devon fit in so well with the rest of the family, that you wouldn't know he had just joined us 7 months ago. It was amazing how much I loved him already. We were truly meant to be together. This worried me sometimes, knowing that Jasper could feel exactly what I felt for Devon, but he assured me that he was happy for us. And Jazz would never lied to me.

Usually, I'd be joining in on the argument with the boys, but something was off.

I only focused in on Carlisle and Esme in my visions a couple of times since they left. I wanted them to have at least some privacy from my gift, but things were coming in fuzzy. At one point I was concerned they were having problems with some local vampires, but the vision wasn't all there. It was fuzzy around the edges. It wasn't like with Jake's pack, where I got no vision at all, the vision was just blurry. I could see Carlisle and Esme clearly, but the actions around them weren't always as clear. Someone, or something was messing up my visions and it was making me just a tad crazy.

Fortunately, they were scheduled to return from their trip in less than a day, so I'd get some answers. I settled in to focus on my adoptive parents again, but I continued to get a blurry vision. I was pulled from my focus by my phone as it vibrated on the table next to me. I smiled when I saw that it was Carlisle.

"Just the man I was eavesdropping on. How's the trip home? Any problems I should know about that might be worth mentioning?" I really didn't like blurry visions. I could heard Carlisle chuckle.

"Problems with your visions?" He asked, almost jokingly.

"You don't sound surprised. My visions have been blurry off and on, yes. It's not like Jake's total blackout, though. I can see you and Esme, but other parts are just blurry, like I can't see the whole story." Truth be told, my gift was beginning to adapt to Jake. He use to block out my visions entirely, but recently I've been able to see what goes on around him, but just not him. This was similar, like someone was blurry.

"Hmm, I was wondering if she'd have an effect on you similar to Jacob."

"Who." I asked impatiently.

"We have a new friend coming home with us. She's a shapeshifter in need of some medical treatment. She's not entirely like Jacob, so I wasn't sure if she'd interrupt your visions or not."

"Are you picking up strays again?" I asked jokingly. Carlisle really was a bleeding heart when it came to people who needed help. He was an amazing person. I often thought his nature as a caregiver was the reason fate decided to make him a vampire. One lifetime was just not enough for someone such as him. If only there were more people like Carlisle, the world would be a much better place.

"I suppose you could call it that. Anyway, we can't fly directly home, since she doesn't have a passport and we just didn't have time to have one made up for her. I need you to pick us up over the boarder. We'll take the usual path Jacob uses when he runs between home and La Push."

I concentrated and saw the spot in my mind. I couldn't see our visitor, but I could see the pick-up spot easily. "Not a problem, Carlisle. We'll be there."

"Something else, who's there right now? Our visitor is a bit nervous about being around so many vampires. I don't want to spook her with everyone meeting us at the door."

"Not a problem. Rose, Emmett, Devon and Jake are here right now. Everyone else is out hunting. They won't be back until early tomorrow morning. I'll call Bella and let them know to take their time and the rest of us will be gentle."

"You might want to bring Jacob with you to pick us up. Having another non vampire in the car might help."

"Yeah, I know. My blurry vision just started to include a large black hole in it. We'll see you in four hours. Don't worry, everything will work out fine."

With a final goodbye, Carlisle hung up and I looked over to the others in the room. Rose had apparently heard my conversation and was also present in the room.

"You guys get all that?" I asked, looking out the window. Jake was outside running laps around the house. He usually ran away from the house when he needed to run, but sometimes he just lapped the house and yard. Silly wolf. "Jake!" I screamed. His hearing was almost as good as ours, so we found if you yelled, he could hear us a good mile or two away. "Come back to the house, if you could."

A few minutes later, Jake walked in. He looked mildly concerned, since it was rare for someone to call him in from one of his runs.

"What's wrong?" He asked, somewhat breathless.

"Nothing's wrong. Carlisle and Esme are on their way home and you need to come with me in a few hours to pick them up." I stated, matter of fact like.

Jake gave me a confused look, tilting his head to the side. He really was very canine like at times.

"And, why do I need to come with you."

"Because they are bring home a patient, who happens to be a shapeshifter, who happens to be very nervous around vampires. Carlisle figures if you ride back with us, you might help put her mind at ease."

Jake smiled. "Excellent! Another shifter. This is gonna be fun. Do you know what kind she is?"

Before I could answer Jake, we heard a very audible sigh from Rose. It wasn't a secret that she really didn't like shifters much.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Great another smelly animal around the house. Yay."

"Come on Rose." Jake pouted at her. "You know you love me."

Rose scoffed. "I tolerate you for Nessie's sake."

Jake stuck his tongue out at her, then looked back over to me. "So, when we leavin'?"

I bounced a few times on my toes. "In a couple of hours. I still gotta give Bella a call and get the guest room ready. This is so exciting! I love new friends."

I could hear both Devon and Emmett groan. I just smirked at them. They were just jealous of my youthful exuberance and talent for making everyone my friend.

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To Be Continued...

There ya go...one more down. Hope you like. Let me know.

Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to read my stories. It makes me happy to know someone likes the little tales running around my head.


	8. News

Sorry it took so long to post the next chapter. Been busy. Enjoy...and as always, I don't own.

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**Bella POV**

It was a beautiful night for a hunt. Nessie had been complaining about having to eat human food for days, so I figured we'd take her out before Carlisle and Esme got back. Carlisle was always telling her she needed to eat solid food as well as blood, since she was just as much living human as vampire. She didn't like it much, and wasn't shy about letting everyone around her know it. I hoped if we got her nice and full on blood now, maybe she'd be less bitchy when Esme served up breakfast when they returned. Nessie was stubborn, much like her father, but she was beginning to understand why she had to eat the way she did. I was looking forward to the day then she grew out of this phase completely.

I leaned against a tree and watched as Nessie tried to mimic Jasper's movements. He really was a very graceful and elegant hunter. His motions were fluid and he never seems to make any mistakes. It was almost like he could read his prey's mind. The dance was fascinating to watch.

Nessie always tired to hunt like her Uncle Jazz when he came with us, but she could never pull it off. She'll need a few more decades of practice to get to his level.

My thoughts were interrupted by my cell phone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Alice's name. It was unusual for her to call while we were hunting.

"What's up Alice."

"Just wanted to give you a heads up. Carlisle and Esme are bringing home a shapeshifter who Carlisle is medically treating for something. Apparently, she's very timid around vampires and he requested we not all descend on them all at once when they arrive. If you guys can stretch out your hunting trip until midday tomorrow, it would be helpful."

"We can do that. Just be careful."

"Hey, I'm me. I'm always careful."

I heard a chuckle and then a click.

I hung up with Alice, sighing, just as Edward came over to investigate the call. Jasper and Nessie were still hunting. Obviously too engrossed to hear or care about a phone call.

"Anything wrong?"

I smiled up at him. "I don't think so. Carlisle is just bring back a patient who is a bit shy around vampires, so he wanted us to get back around midday tomorrow, instead of in the morning."

"A patient, really?"

"She's a shapeshifter of some kind."

"Even more interesting." He looked over at Jasper and Nessie. Nessie was giggling about something. "I don't think it'll be a problem. Those two could entertain each other for hours.

"I hope there isn't going to be a problem with the shifter staying with us. You know how Rose is."

Edward didn't take his eyes off of his brother and daughter. "I wouldn't worry. Emmett can handle Rose and besides, we all know Carlisle wouldn't bring someone to the house he thought would cause problems. Jake will be there, too. That should help."

I took a few steps and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist. "You're right, of course. In any case, Alice has a way of making people like her, no matter what species they are."

We watched as Jasper and Nessie approached, Nessie getting a piggy back ride. Even though she looked more like a teenager now than a girl of almost 6, she was still very small and slight. She was going to be petite, like Alice.

"So, we got company coming." Jasper stated. "We get to look forward to Rosalie complaining about animal smells again. Splendid."

I chuckled at Jasper's response to the news, but couldn't argue with it. We all got very tired of Rose's remarks about Jake's dog like smell. It took her almost a year to move on from it. We could only hope she'd have more respect for a stranger than she did for Jake.

"She'll deal. Besides, this is one of Carlisle's patients. She probably won't be staying with us long enough for Rose to bitch too much. If it bothers her, she and Emmett can take a vacation from the house until the shifter leaves." Edward reasoned.

We all agreed, then turned to got deeper into the woods. We still have a half a day to kill before we could head home.

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To Be Continued...

This chapter wasn't very long, but I wanted to get some good natured Jasper time in. Let me know what you think. Will try and get the next chapter up this weekend, if time allows. Thanks to all for reading my ramblings.


	9. Steady

New chapter is up. Hope you like. Thanks for reading...I don't own twilight...

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**Johona POV**

The flight to Seattle was quiet and uneventful. I spoke with the vampires when they asked questions, but for the most part I kept to myself. It wasn't completely uncomfortable. Once we landed, we took off on foot in a Northern direction. I really didn't mind the run. In cat form I couldn't talk to them and that was just fine with me. Also, the exertion helped burn off some of my nervous energy.

My inner voice only yelled at me about my stupidity for the first few hours of our trip. Apparently, it really is possible for your own mind to give up on keeping you sane. If all went as the Doc planned, this whole trip would be worth it in the end. I really hoped so. My inner voice can be a real bitch when she's right.

After crossing the Canadian border, we run for about an hour or so until we came to a secluded clearing. Parked by the road was a large SUV with dark tinted windows. Two people were leaning against the vehicle. One was obviously a vampire. She was very pale, with short brown hair and golden eyes, just like the Doc and his wife. The other person was most definitely not a vampire. He was tall and well built, with an obvious Native American look to him. As we approached, I also noticed a very distinct and rapid heartbeat. This had to be their shapeshifter.

Esme ran right up to the vampire, giving her a hug, then turned to the shifter and did the same. He certainly did seem to be a part of the family. He didn't even wrinkle his nose from being that close to a vampire and he returned the hug wholeheartedly.

Carlisle stood beside me a few feet away. I sighed, then relaxed my muscles and the burning took over at full force. Carlisle caught me before I could crumble from the pain and it hurt so bad that I didn't mind the help. Besides, in a few days he would be removing a good portion of my blood. I figured I could trust him with the simple task of keeping me standing. Once human again, I took a few breaths as the pain subsided and walked with the Doc to meet his family.

"Johona, this is Alice and Jacob. Alice, Jake, this is Johona."

I nodded in recognition, but did not approach. The small woman, Alice, spoke first.

"It's OK. We won't hurt you."

"She's right." Jacob added. "I've lived with these bloodsuckers for almost 5 years and I'm still here to talk about it. They're good people. I promise."

I looked both of them in the eye as they spoke and saw no lie. It was very handy being able to see the truth in the eyes of people. It was a talent I treasured and used regularly to keep me alive.

"It's nice to meet both of you. Forgive my shyness, but I'm very...suspicious...of new people. Particularly vampires. I believe you will not harm me, but it's against my better judgment."

Alice smiled big and started to bounce slightly. "Don't worry, we'll be like family in no time."

My eyes widened and I looked over Jacob, who seemed to be fighting hard not to laugh.

"Don't mind Alice." He said, finally getting a handle on himself enough to speak. "She's like this with everyone. I won't worry, she can't see you in her visions any more than she can see me. She's just very optimistic." He leaned in closer to me. "She's also a bit hyper." He whispered.

"Hey, I can hear you, ya know!" Alice said, trying to sound angry, but failing miserably. "And I will have you know, I'm not hyper. I prefer to call it youthful exuberance."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. As timid as I was around strangers, these two bickered like siblings should. You would never guess they were not totally human. Carlisle and Esme were both smiling fondly. They really did see these two as their children.

Carlisle finally cleared his throat to get our attention. "Anyway, we should probably get home. Esme and I will sit in back with Johona."

"That's OK, Doc." Jacob added quickly. "You can sit up front with Alice. I'd like to sit back here and talk with Johona." He looked at me. "If that's alright with you, of course?"

"I"m OK with that." I kinda liked the guy. They obviously brought him along to make me feel comfortable and darned if it wasn't working. If he was indeed the only non vampire in this coven, I guessed he was probably excited to have another shifter around. Even if it was only for a short time.

I climbed in the very back seat and Jacob and Esme took the seat in front of me. Once we were on our way, Jacob turned around in his seat to face me. He had a big smile on this face.

"So, The Doc's gonna be treating you?"

"Yeah, apparently I've been bitten by too many vampires."

Jacob gave me a confused look.

"Her blood is highly contaminated with vampire venom." Carlisle stated from the front. "I'm going to remove a portion of her blood and replace it with clean donor blood. Hopefully after two or three transfusions, the venom will be diluted enough to alleviate her symptoms."

"And what are your symptoms?" Jacob asked. "You're not turning into a vamp, are you?"

"No, thank goodness." I replied "It just burns my veins when I shift from Kitty to human. It's more of an inconvenience than anything else, but I really don't want to find out what will happen if I get any more bites. Why else would I voluntarily allow a vampire to remove my blood."

"Don't worry, Carlisle is an excellent doctor. Once he had to re-break and set a couple dozen of my bones. It sucked, the whole re-breaking thing, but he did an excellent job."

"Thank You Jacob." Carlisle replied.

"Credit where credit is due, Doc. I'd be a cripple right now if it weren't for you."

I looked out the window and watched the landscape speed by, allowing my mind and body to relax. The shifter, Jake, wasn't lying to me about his fondness for his adoptive family. I could only hope that these vampires were as civilized as they seemed.

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To Be Continued...

Well, what do you think. Don't worry, Jasper and Johona will meet soon. Again, thanks to everyone reading and following my stories. It's much appreciated. I'm glad people are enjoying my ramblings.


	10. You! Part One

Once again I find myself apologizing for not updating more often. I've had a lot of time to write, but no time to edit and post. Hopefully I can get a few chapters up before I get distracted again. Thanks to all who are still with me. Hope you enjoy. I don't own twilight.

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**Jasper POV**

I didn't really mind that Carlisle wanted us to extend our hunting trip. I enjoyed hunting with Nessie. She may have looked almost like an adult, but she was still a kid at heart and a regular sponge when it came to learning. Every time she went out on a hunt with me, her technique got better and better. I honestly hoped she would never have to fight off newborn vampires in her life, but give her a few more years of training with me and she could grow up to be a master fighter.

At first I wasn't sure if Bella would approve of me teaching Nessie how to fight, but it turned out she didn't just approve, she encouraged it. I guess Bella went through enough fights as a defenseless human that she never wanted her daughter to be in the same situation. Bella has always been a very practical person.

Edward and Bella relaxed and enjoyed hunting more when I was with them. I know they always worried about Nessie when she fed. Being only half vampire, she could still get hurt. I could feel the appreciation they had for me for looking after Nessie on the hunt. I was truly honored that they trusted me with her safety.

We were on our way home, only a few miles from the house, when Edward stopped our approach.

"Carlisle has his patient outside in the backyard." He looked over to Nessie. Nessie had a little too much fun with her food and managed to get a good amount of blood on herself and a fair share on Edward. Bella and I had managed to avoid the gore. "Nessie and I will go around to the side door and clean up. We don't want to freak out the poor girl."

"Probably a good idea." Bella replied as Eddie and Nessie dashed off.

"We should probably go in slower than normal." Bella said, turning to me.

I focused hard in the direction of our house. We were just on the edge of my empathy, but I could get a faint reading on the people closest to us. "I agree. Whoever she is, she's feeling a bit nervous."

Bella laughed. "Of course she is. She's surrounded by vampires she doesn't know. We'll run up to the edge for the woods then walk the rest of the way."

With that, we sped off towards home. We were only a few yards away when I smelled it. I stopped short, freezing in place. In alarm, Bella stopped too.

"What is it Jazz?" She asked, concerned.

My mind was racing. It couldn't be. Not after all these decades. I raced towards the house at full speed, hoping I wasn't too late.

To Be Continued...

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OMG...Cliffhanger! Hope you like. Let me know. Thanks again for all who are reading.


	11. You! Part Two

Next chapter up, enjoy...I don't own Twilight, as always.

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**Johona POV**

I had many ideas as to what a house inhabited by vampires would look like. When we finally got to the Doc's house, however, it turned out I was completely wrong.

The house was enormous, but I guess it had to be. 11 people is alot to have living under one roof, regardless if the inhabitants slept or not. The outside was painted white, with many flower gardens surrounding it, giving the whole yard a vivid color contrast that was very pleasing and welcoming to the senses.

The inside was just as impressive. It was skillfully decorated with expensive art, but it wasn't cluttered. All the windows were big, giving the inside of the house a feel of being simply a continuation of the outside. It was open and bright.

These bloodsuckers had taste, I had to give them that.

When we arrived, I met three more of the coven. Devon was unsure how to approach me, at first, until Alice assured him that I was OK. Carlisle had explained that Devon was the newest of his adoptive family and to expect him to be the most uncomfortable with me. The big guy, Emmett, was the most imposing. That is until I found out he was a goofball at heart. His wife, Rosalie, turned out to be the more impressive vampire of the couple. She was instantly suspicious of me, but was civil, giving me a head nod at my introduction. Jacob had said that she was the most sensitive to smells, but she didn't seem to respond to me at all. Maybe cats smell better to vamps than dogs.

After a full tour of the house and surrounding buildings, including a garage that contained ten different vehicles, we found ourselves out in the backyard. Like the front, the back was just as colorful and impressive. Esme had landscaped it herself with more flower and plant varieties than I'd even seen in my life. It really was beautiful and Esme was very excited to be able to show it off.

My nerves were just starting to settle when I hear someone approaching quickly, 3 or 4 vampires to be exact. Carlisle must have saw me tense, because he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"It's OK. It's just the rest of my family coming home from a hunt. Any second now, you'll probably hear two or three of them break off to the right to come in the side door. My granddaughter, Nessie, can be a little messy still when she hunts and they probably don't want her to be introduced to you covered in blood."

"She's half vampire, correct?"

"Yes, she's half vampire, half human. She's human, in that she has blood and a heartbeat and needs to eat normal food and sleep at night, but she also needs to drink blood like a vampire." Carlisle laughed to himself. "Sometimes it's hard to get her to eat human food. She doesn't like the taste of it much and she's still too young mentally to fully understand that she has to eat solid food to keep up her health. She's beginning to look like a teenager, but in some ways she's still very much a child. In other ways, she's almost more mature than some of the adults in the family."

As Carlisle predicted, I could hear the group approaching break into two, one set continued to head towards us, the second headed off to the side. The group heading in our direction paused a second time, but then started up again, coming in even faster than before. The first vampire to immerge stopped just at the treeline and went into an offensive crouch.

I couldn't believe it. I instantly shifted, taking up a defensive posture.

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To Be Continued.

Woo Hoo...one more chapter done. Let me know what you think.


	12. Remember

Chapter 12 is up. Enjoy. I don't own, as always.

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**Carlisle POV**

Jasper had jumped out of the woods and landed at a full attack posture. He growled loudly, his eyes fixed on Johona. Johona responded similarly, turning into a leopard and taking on an equally aggressive stance.

I placed myself between my son and my guest. This wasn't exactly the kind of introduction I had envisioned. Devon and Emmett heard the commotion and rushed out of the house. They each took one of Jasper's arms and did their best to hold him back. My son's eyes were almost pure black and the look he gave the shifter was all business. He was ready for a fight to the death and I knew Jasper well enough to know he would follow through if allowed.

"What is she doing here!" He growled, still straining against his brothers.

I looked first to Jasper, then to Johona, who looked as if she'd attack Jasper if there weren't three other vampires standing in the way. She growled back, her sharp claws digging into the ground. Sometime during the standoff, Jake had shifted and was doing his best to keep Johona at bay.

"Johona is my guest and patient. I would ask that you stand down and explain yourself." I kept my voice calm and neutral.

Nothing happened. The two kept eye contact and continued to strain against the ones holding them back.

"Jasper please?" Esme said gently, stepping into his view, but not blocking his vision.

Jasper looked at Esme of a fraction of a second, then back at Johona. The fight left his body and be stopped resisting. "I won't attack her." He stated, continuing to stare.

Beside me, Johona took several deep breaths, then shift back to human. She doubled over for a few seconds, but did not break eye contact with Jasper. "If he behaves, I'll behave."

Everyone relaxed slightly and before any more words could be spoken, Jasper turned and sprinted away from the house. Emmett went to follow his brother, but I stopped him.

"I'll go after him, Emmett."

Emmett nodded. I looked over at Esme, who gave me a concerned look, then I dashed after my eldest son.

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**Johona POV**

I stood hunched over with my hands on my knees, looking at the spot where the two vampires had dashed off. I took several deep breaths, willing my heart to slow down. I hadn't imagined it, the god of war had been mere feet away from me. He was, by far, the last person I had expected to see living with a group of apparently civilized, animal drinking vampires. By his reaction, he was just as surprised to see me.

I stood up straight, taking my eyes off the forest and looked down at the large reddish tan wolf looking at me with very concerned eyes.

"It's OK, Jacob. I'm not going after him."

Convinced of my sincerity, he took a few steps back, but stayed in wolf form. He may have been a kid, but he wasn't stupid.

Esme approached me slowly, followed closely by Emmett, Devon and a female vampire I didn't know.

"I'm guessing you know Jasper." She stated. It wasn't a question.

"You could say that." I replied, my hand automatically reached for the scar on my left shoulder, just hidden beneath my shirt. I felt the ruined skin, which was still a few degrees cooler than the rest of my body, even after all these years. I took a shaky breath and looked up at Esme. "The vampire that murdered my family is the same one who made Jasper. Maria." I said her name at almost a whisper.

Esme gasped slightly.

"He's the first vampire who ever tried to kill me. He gave me my first vampire bite. It was the one and only time a vampire bite has left a scar." I pulled the neck of my shirt down to reveal the mound of roughly healed flesh a few inches below my neck, over my left shoulder. It wasn't a pretty scar, either. Newborns weren't known for being neat with their bites and this one was no exception. It almost didn't look like a bite at all. "He was only a few days old and rather jealous that Maria would bring another person into the fold of things. I knew nothing of vampires and fighting at that time, so I didn't even defend myself. Maria was furious. She was sure I would either die from the bite or be turned. She was just oh so pleased to find out that I was immune to the venom. Jasper was the one who kept me alive during my suicidal first year and the one who taught me how to kill newborns in the years that followed. Needless to say, we didn't get along very well. The only reason we didn't kill each other back then was because Maria kept both of us on fairly short leashes."

Esme replied. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

I thought about it for a minute. "I don't think so. I believe what you saw just now was more muscle memory and automatic response than anything else. I was being honest, as long as he doesn't attack me, I won't attack him."

Esme breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, two more members of the family I didn't know came outside along with Rosalie. Esme smiled at them.

"Everyone is home now. This is Bella." She introduced the vampire who had appeared with Jasper. "And that is Edward and my granddaughter, Nessie."

I nodded to the newcomers, then sighed. "The gang's all here. Yay." I said sarcastically. I was mentally drained and physically exhausted. Just then, Jacob came back outside, now in human form. I hadn't even notice him leave. He wrapped an arm around Nessie and smiled at me.

"It's about dinner time. These guys might be bloodsuckers from beyond the grave, but they can cook like you won't believe."

"Sounds good." I replied, allowing myself to relax again. In the back of my mind, though, I kept an ears open for anyone who might approach from the general direction of the woods.

* * *

**Jasper POV**

I turned and sprinted as fast as I could away from the others. I could hear someone following me, but didn't slow down. I ran until I was well out of hearing range of the house, then stopped and leaned against a tree, waiting for my pursuer to catch up.

My mind was swimming. I never in a million years thought I would ever see Johona again. I was honestly surprised she was even still alive, the way things were going when I fled Maria.

I watched as Carlisle stepped through the trees, approaching me slowly. I chuckled in my head. He was concerned about me. I couldn't pick up even a hint of anger from our leader. He really was a unique soul.

"Judging by both of your reactions, I'd guess you and Johona have a bit of a history." He stated calmly.

"History. Yeah, you could call it that. Maria captured her a few days after she turned me. We were both slaves to that woman. In different ways, of course, but slaves none the less." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree. "Spent a good portion of my first year keeping that damn girl alive. She did everything in her power to get herself killed, but Maria made it abundantly clear that the shifter was to live, at all costs. After her suicidal phase, she became a sponge. She learned anything I could teach her about fighting." I looked up at Carlisle. "She's a living weapon, Carlisle. She's dangerous...or at least was. Kinda like me, I guess."

Carlisle took a few steps closer to me.

"Yeah, I know. She helped us out when we were attacked by four vampires down in Mississippi. She overheard us talking about our unique diet, which is the only reason she didn't just go ahead and kill us too. She needs help and I'm in a position where I might be able to assist. She told us about her past, but we didn't realize the vampire who killed her family was Maria."

"What's wrong with her?" I asked, curious what could possibly hurt a rapid healing shifter.

"From what I can tell, her blood is severely contaminated with venom. It's been accumulating since the very first bite. It causes her pain when she shifts from cat to human. I'm gonna try removing small portions of her blood and replace it with clean blood. Hopefully, after a few tries, the process will alleviate her symptoms." Carlisle looked me in the eyes, his gaze kind but serious. "She's extremely uncomfortable being around this many vampires and this process is going to take several months. Can I trust that you won't try and hurt her during her stay. I understand that it may prove uncomfortable to both of you, but she needs to be as relaxed and calm as possible to prevent complications. I honestly have no idea if any of this will even work or what kinds of problems might spring up during the process."

I smiled at my adoptive father. "Don't worry. You have my word that I'll behave around her. She is safe under our roof, I promise. And I apologize for my overreaction. I am no longer the person I was during my time with Maria and I'm betting she isn't either. I did not mean to cause you any stress, I was just concerned for the family's safety. I smelled her and thought the worst."

"You were just acting on instinct. You smelled a known danger and did what you thought you needed to do to protect those you care about. There is nothing to apologize for, Jasper. I'm gonna head back. Are you coming with me?"

I thought about it for a moment. "No, I think I'll wait an hour or so. Give us both a chance to calm down. Let her settle, now that all of the vampires are around."

Carlisle nodded, then dashed back towards the house. I once again leaned my head back against the tree and closed my eyes. This was not how I had envisioned this day going.

To Be Continued...

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Well, there ya go. Our main characters meet again. Hope you like. Let me know what you think if you get a chance.


	13. A New Start

Sorry it took so long to update. I've been horribly busy. I've had time to write, but no time to revise and upload. Enjoy and remember, I am not a doctor or even in the medical profession, so any medical stuff in this story I'm pulling out of my ass...Tee Hee

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**Carlisle POV**

The first two days after Johona's arrival were tense at times, but both she and Jasper held up their ends of the bargain. They really didn't speak much, just did their best to avoid one another. Under the circumstances, that was the most I could hope for.

I knew Jasper's history. It's funny to think that I once had concerns over him joining our family. These days, with everything that has happened, I actually feel better having him around. He never hesitates to do what is necessary to protect the family. More than that, I love him as a son.

At first I thought he only stayed for Alice's sake, since she loves this family more than anything else in the world and I knew living with us wasn't his first choice. When they broke up, I was worried he might leave us and go back to his old lifestyle. When he chose to stay, I realised that my first assessment was incorrect. I think the family gives him the peace he wouldn't be able to find elsewhere. I care for him too much to see him return to the suffering state he was in when he first arrived.

Even though he is at peace here, I know Jasper is a dangerous man. His reaction to Johona worried me slightly. If he considered her a threat, I had to as well. I could only hope they would be able to put the past aside and live peacefully together long enough for me to treat Johona. And hopefully she could manage to get along with the rest of the family without starting a fight.

I was in the extra room I had set up with all the medical equipment I needed to perform the procedure on Johona. She sat quietly on the bed. She did her best to hide it, but she was extremely nervous. Her heart was beating faster than I would have liked. I was contemplating asking Jasper to help calm her, but decided against it. I didn't want to press my luck with them.

I was minutes away from beginning when I felt a calming wave hit both me and Johona. Her heartbeat slowed to a relaxed pace. I looked over to the door to find Jasper standing there.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

I looked over at Johona. She nodded. "Yeah, you can come in. I'm guessing you're doing that, right?" She asked, kinda waving her finger in the air, referring to his using his gift to calm her.

Jasper walked into the room and took the seat near the bed.

"Yeah, hope you don't might. Carlisle told me you needed to be calm and you were the farthest I've ever felt from calm."

Johona laughed. "Nope, I don't might at all. Thanks."

"I also would like to apologize for my reaction to you. I was out of line."

"We were both out of line."Johona replied. "I'm not the same person I was back then and it's obvious you aren't either. Our reactions were based on all those fucked up memories we both have from our time with Maria."

"Start fresh then?" Jasper asked, offering her his hand. She took it without hesitation.

"Definitely."

I smiled. This was a good sign. "I'm ready to begin. Jasper, If you'd agree to stay, at least for the first part of the procedure, it would be a help. Her blood will have no attraction to you." I stood beside her, placing the needle into her vein quickly. "Once I start replacing it with the human blood, you might want to leave, though."

Jasper chuckled. "Not a problem. I can keep the calm going from downstairs."

"Excellent. It's much appreciated." I looked to Johona, who I noticed wasn't looking at the needle in her arm, but at Jasper. She was breathing slowly and deeply. "Let me know when you start feeling woozy. I don't want to take too much out on the first go."

I then stepped away from the bed to prepare the next step. Jasper and Johona began to chat again.

"Afraid of needles?" He asked her, obviously noticing her reaction to the needle in her arm.

"No." She replied, her voice was mock angry. She was joking with him. Another good sign. "I just don't like seeing them coming out of my body. It freaks me out."

They both laughed this time. I relaxed just a tad more. Jasper then got serious.

"How'd you get away from Maria?" Jasper asked. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

"It's fine." She paused, as if to organize her thoughts. "I got away only a couple of weeks after you left. Once you were gone, Maria started to lose control of her army. Shows how much she relied on your gift to keep them in line. She promoted one of the more attractive newborns to be her new right hand man. Unfortunately for her, he was as dumb as a fuckin' rock."

She chuckled at the memory.

"One evening, while Maria was out hunting, I actually convinced him that I was with Maria voluntarily and that there was no need to lock me up at night. That she only did it for my protection."

"Slipped right by him, huh?" Jasper asked, folding his arms over his chest. I could tell he was enjoying hearing about her past.

"Nope. I ripped off his head and torched the whole house. It was extremely satisfying. I've made it a point to not run into Maria over the years, though. She was always the type to hold a grudge and as good as I am, I can't be sure I could take her on my own."

"I know what you mean." Jasper added. "She tried to look me up once. It didn't end well. I had to politely ask her never to visit again."

This made me wince. Saying it didn't end well was putting it mildly. We actually had to move out of our house in Calgary because of the mess she started. Sometimes it's hard to believe that Jasper was made from her venom. As far as I could tell, she was pure evil. She enjoyed being a monster and was very disappointed that Jasper did not.

Johona leaned back, placing the arm not connected to a tube behind her head and closed her eyes for a minute. "Hmm...I forgot how pleasant your emotional manipulation can be." She opened her eyes and look at Jasper. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. Happy to do it."

This was excellent. This whole treatment process will be so much easier if they can not only get along, but be friendly towards each other. They really did have a great deal in common with their mutual history. His past has always been a tough subject for Jasper. Maybe talking it out with Johona will help him finally heal. There was so much potential in this situation now. It was encouraging.

"Woo. Hey, Doc, I'm starting to feel kinda interesting over here."

"Perfect timing. I'm ready to start the next step." I had the human blood ready. "I've included a small amount of sedative with the blood. It will help keep you calm. We'll see how it goes. If this works, the process can go quicker next time."

"And with the appearance of human blood, I make my exit." Jasper stated, getting up from his seat. "I'm glad we got a chance to talk. Maybe we can talk more later."

Johona had a genuine smile on her face. "I'd like that."

With a wave, Jasper proceeded to the door.

"Oh, and Jasper..." She continued. Jasper paused at the door. "The gold eyes suit you."

Jasper smiled at her, then left the room.

To Be Continued...


	14. Recovery

Here's the next chapter. Remember, I know nothing about medicine, so I don't even know if the stuff happening is realistic or not, but hey, that's why they call it fiction. Enjoy.

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**Johona POV**

I woke up slowly at first, but I came around faster and faster as the pain in my head increased. I groaned as I struggled to open my eyes.

"Well, good morning. I was wondering if you'd wake up today." Carlisle smiled warmly at me, taking a seat in the chair next to my bed. "How do you feel?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You didn't happen to catch the license plate number of the truck that hit me, did ya?"

Carlisle chuckled at my joke, turning in his seat to check an IV, which I noticed was still attached to my arm. "I'm afraid your recovery has been rougher than I anticipated. Your body just didn't respond well to the human blood. You've been out for three days."

My mouth dropped open. "Three days? How could a simple blood transfusion knock me out for three days?"

"It turns out you're not as human a you thought, at least your body chemistry isn't. I'm confident that the procedure worked and you will feel a marked improvement when shifting, but I may need to adjust the procedure some before we do this again. You were never in danger of dying, but I'd feel better if it went smoother." He patted my hand gently. "Don't you worry, I have a good month to figure it out before the next transfusion. Also, I must insist you don't try and shift until I give you the go ahead. I want to make sure you're fully recovered before you try."

"Don't worry, the thought of shifting right now kinda makes my stomach turn. I trust you, doc." This comment made me laugh. "Never thought I'd say that to a vampire."

Carlisle laughed as well. "I'm proud that you feel I've earned it." He stood up and turned off the IV. "Let me removed the IV. Then we'll get you moving and hopefully get some food in you."

"Sounds good." I stuck out my arm and turned my head as he removed the IV. When I turned around, I was pleased to see that the hole from the needle had healed up immediately. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand. My legs crumbled under me and for the first time I was thankful for vampire speed. I found myself in Carlisle's arms instead of on the floor."

"Careful. It might take some time for you to be fully mobile on your own again. Let me help you get down to the kitchen." Carlisle wrapped his arm around me, allowing me to use him as support. I was happy he didn't carry me. This was humiliating enough as it was.

We slowly made our way down the stairs. The house seemed very empty. In the kitchen, Esme was hard at work cooking something that smelled delicious. Jacob and Nessie were at the kitchen table, playing some kind of card game. Esme noticed us and smiled at me, holding a spatula.

"Johona! It's nice to see you finally up and around."

I chuckled to myself. "The around part is accurate, but I'm not so sure about the up part. If the Doc weren't stand here, I'd be on the floor." I leaned a little more into Carlisle, feeling a bit dizzy. He noticed and quickly, but gently, helped me into the chair next to Jacob.

Jacob looked up from his card game. "Wow, you look a little green."

I scoffed. "Yeah, well you look a little sweaty." I stuck my tongue out at him, not caring that I was acting like a two year old. "You try having a significant amount of your blood taken out and replaced with blood only marginally compatible to you and we'll see what color you are."

He smiled at my humor. "I was just saying that if you think you might hurl, please let me know. I don't want to be in the splash zone. And if you must know, I'm sweaty because I just got back from running."

"Ah running, if only I could run, or walk, or stand without tipping over." I sighed and placed my head down on the table.

Carlisle stood over me, patting me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be back in fighting form in no time. Just take it slowly.

"Not like I have much choice." I replied softly, raising my head off the table. "Anyway, what smells so good."

"I'm making some breakfast for Jake and Nessie." Esme answered. "I can make you something, what would you like?"

"Whatever you're making is fine. I'm not picky. I just hope it'll stay down." I put my head back down and closed my eyes.

"So, do you like running in your cat form?" Jake asked, continuing the card game with Nessie.

"Yeah, I do it as often as I can. I just have to be careful, since large black cats are a rare sight in the wild in pretty much all the US."

"When you feel better you should run with Jake." Nessie said, placing a card down on the table. "I win." She stated to Jacob, smiling. Jake grumbled, tossing his hand of cards on the table.

"We should definitely run sometime. I miss running with another shifter. I don't get to see my pack very often anymore."

Esme came over to the table, placing three omelets down in front of us. They smelled amazing.

"Thanks." I said to her, picking up my fork.

"Not a problem. I've enjoyed learning how to cook, now that I have people around who actually eat."

"She's really good at it, too." Jacob added, his mouth full.

"Thank you, Jake, but please chew with your mouth closed.

Jacob placed a hand over his mouth. "Sorry."

I took a couple of deep breaths, preparing myself. Throwing up was one of my least favorite activities and I really wanted to avoid it if possible. I put a small piece of the omelet in my mouth and chewed it slowly.

"Well?" Jake asked, obviously worried about my potential to hurl as well.

I swallowed, and sat for a moment. I smiled at him. "I think we're good." I replied triumphantly. I took another bite, eating with more confidence. It only took 10 minutes for me to finish my plate.

"That was very good, Esme."

"Thank you, dear. Would you like more?"

I thought able it for a moment, then shook my head. "No, I'm good. Don't want to push it.

"How are you feeling now?" Carlisle asked from behind me. He had been so quiet, that I had almost forgotten he was there, silently reading the paper.

"Hmm, stronger. My head doesn't hurt quite so much. Still a bit dizzy, but better."

"Excellent. I need to get to the hospital, but I think you'll be OK here without me for a few hours. Nessie, Jake, you two mind helping Johona while I'm gone?"

"Not a problem, Doc." Jacob replied, putting away his deck of cards.

"Cool!" Nessie exclaimed, bouncing in her chair. "You can watch Alice in Wonderland with us."

"Which one?" I asked.

"The newest one. The movie." she answered.

"Yeah, you know, the one that's like a bad acid trip." Jake added.

"I love that one. And how would you know what a bad acid trip feels like, Jake?"

He stuck his tongue out at me in response.

I chucked, getting up from the table without thinking. As soon as my leg started to support my weight, they once again crumbled out from under me and once again, a strong part of arms caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Opps. I guess I'm not as better I as thought I was." I looked up at Jake, who was supporting me like the Doc had done before. "Nice save." Nessie came around to my other side, helping to support me as well.

"Not a problem. I always did enjoy a rousing game of catch the shape shifter." Jake joked. "Let's get you to the couch."

The two walked me into the living room and placed me gently on the couch. Nessie pushed the ottoman over and Jake helped lift my legs onto it.

"Comfy?" Nessie asked, grinning.

I sighed contently. "Perfect." I replied, relaxing into the soft couch.

Nessie but in the movie and within minutes her and Jake joined me on the couch. Jake had a large bowl of popcorn sitting in his lap.

I eyed the bowl, then him. "Popcorn, really? You just ate breakfast."

He just shrugged. "We're watching a movie, what's a movie without popcorn?"

Ah, youth. I turned my attention to the movie and managed to watch the whole thing without nodding off. Jake put a second movie in, however, and I only made it through the previews. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the sounds of the closing credits.

"Missed that one entirely, didn't ya?" Jacob asked, getting up from the couch and stretching.

I chuckled. "I think it was a miracle that I made it through the first one." I slid myself over so my feet were on the floor and slowly pushed myself into a standing position. Jacob stood at the ready to catch me, but my legs seemed to work for the first time that day. "Well, I'm standing."

Jacob and Nessie both stood back, allowing me a take a few guarded steps on my own. My legs still felt weak, but at least they could carry my own weight. I headed towards the stairs. "I think I might try and take a bath. I feel gross from being unconscious for so long."

I was only a few steps from the stairs when my legs went out again and with no surprise I found myself in another set of strong arms. But these arms were cold...

To Be Continued...

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There ya go. Let me know what you think.


	15. Serious

I suck so much at updating. I'm just saying. Anyway, here's chapter 15. Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

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**Johona POV**

I looked up into Jasper's eyes. He was giving me a concerned smile.

"Woo Hoo! Nice save, Jazz." Jacob shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "You're the next contestant on Let's catch a shape shifter."

This comment made us all laugh and it erased Jasper's concern. He stood me back upright, holding me in place. My legs seemed to regain a bit of their strength and I was able to stand. In my weakened condition, I hadn't even heard him enter the room, let alone be close enough to catch me.

"Guess I'm not as strong yet as I thought. So much for my bath. With my luck, I'll probably end up drowning myself."

"I can take you up and help you, unless you'd be more comfortable with one of the girls." Jasper offered.

I thought about it for a minute then shrugged. "I guess you can help me. It's not like you've never seen it all before."

This comment made both Nessie and Jacob do a double take. I could see the disbelief in their faces and I knew Jasper could feel it. It made him laugh.

"Oh, come on guys. I was basically a slave to Maria. Do you honestly think I had any privacy during the time I was with her?"

"Maria thought it was funny to have me accompany Johona when she bathed. It amused her to see me uncomfortable, I think." Jasper explained. He then turned to me. "I'll help you if you want me to. I don't think any of the women will be back until later anyway, but Nessie could help, if it would be more comfortable."

"You'll do."

Jasper then placed me into a chair. "Stay here. I'll go run a bath, then come back and get you." He rushed up the stairs and I could hear the water being turned on in the bathroom. Jake and Nessie were both still giving me a funny look.

"I don't get why you're so shocked about this. You're a shifter whose clothes don't shift with him. I'm betting almost everyone in this family has seen you naked at least once."

Jake thought about it for a minute, then nodded, blushing just a little. "I guess you're right. I never really thought about it. I'm just so comfortable with my own nakedness, it never registered that I've probably flashed everyone around here at least once in the last five years."

I chuckled. "We're shifters, sweetie, we don't think the same way as everyone else."

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**Jasper POV**

I didn't often hunt alone, but with the emotions in the house being slightly more volatile with Johona's presence, I was increasing my blood intake to help me cope with the extra emotion. It was a blessing and a curse, being able to feel what everyone else felt. I got to share in the good, but I also had to deal with the bad.

When I returned in the afternoon from my hunt, I could hear three distinct heartbeats in the house, meaning that Jake, Nessie and Johona were all there. I could also feel their emotions and no one else's. They were alone in the house. I noted that Jo's heart rate was faster and stronger than before. She must finally be awake. It surprised me how worried her condition had made me. Of course, after our conversation, I began to think of her more as a comrade in arms than an enemy. She understood what I went through all those decades ago, because she went through it too. No one else's history in the family could even come close to what I went through and it was nice to have someone around who could relate.

I entered the house just in time to see Johona beginning to fall to the ground. I ran up to her and caught her with less than a second to spare. She looked up at me, surprised as to who had saved her. She was awake, but obviously not at 100 percent yet.

"Woo Hoo! Nice save, Jazz." Jacob shouted. "You're the next contestant on Let's catch a shape shifter."

This made me laugh. Obviously this wasn't the first time Jo had been saved from a near collision with the floor. My concern faded. Carlisle had told me that her recovery might take some time.

"Guess I'm not as strong yet as I thought. So much for my bath. With my luck, I'll probably end up drowning myself."

"I can take you up and help you, unless you'd be more comfortable with one of the girls." I offered. I had seen her naked many times in our past and to be honest, she really did need to take a bath.

She seemed to think about it for a minute then shrugged. "I guess you can help me. It's not like you've never seen it all before."

This comment made both Nessie and Jacob do a double take. It made me laugh.

"Oh, come on guys. I was basically a slave to Maria. Do you honestly think I had any privacy during the time I was with her?"

"Maria thought it was funny to have me accompany Johona when she bathed. It amused her to see me uncomfortable, I think." As much as she claimed to love me, Maria often liked to put me in embarrassing situations to see my reaction. In hindsight, I should have taken this as a clue to her true intentions, but I was just so new, I didn't know any better. "I'll help you if you want me to. I don't think any of the women will be back until later anyway, but Nessie could help, if it would be more comfortable"

She smiled up at me. "You'll do."

I placed her into a chair. "Stay here. I'll go run a bath, then come back and get you." I rushed up the stairs, leaving Johona to deal with Nessie and Jake's curiosity.

I ran a hot bath, making the water as hot as I could, knowing she wouldn't have a problem with the temperature. I also included a generous amount of bubble bath, so there would be enough foam to cover her completely. Even though I had seen it before, It was still not my intention to force her to be naked near me. I was a gentleman now, after all.

Once there was enough water, I turned off the tap and ran back down the stairs to collect Jo. Jake was more collected than he had been previously, but Nessie still looked a little off.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yep." She replied, holding out her arms for me to help her up.

"Do you want me to carry you or just help you to walk?" I didn't know how sensitive she was to her current condition. I didn't want to embarrass her.

"For the sake of efficiency, I'll let you carry me. I'm sure I don't smell all that wonderful. All you people are just too polite to mention it."

With a nod, I lifted her into my arms and ran her up the stairs to the bathroom. Once there, I held out my arms as supports, turning my head and closing my eyes as she undressed. With my eyes still closed, I helped ease her into the tub.

"You can open your eyes now." She said. I looked over to her and saw that my plan had worked. She was totally covered. Only her bare shoulders and head were exposed. You could plainly see the scar on her left shoulder, the scar I had given her.

"I'm sorry, by the way, for biting you."

"Oh please, you were young and I was a threat. There is nothing to apologize for." She sighed deeply. "You have no idea how wonderful this feels."

"Do you want me to leave?"

She once again thought for a moment. She seemed to be shifting slightly in the tub, trying to find a good position. It was a big tub and she had to be keeping herself above the water with her legs. "You might want to stay. Not sure if my legs will give out or not. I really don't want to drown."

"As you wish." I replied, taking a seat on the floor a few feet from the tub. I leaned my back again the cupboards. This was far more comfortable than the times I did this under Maria's instruction.

"So, Jasper, if I may ask, how did you manage to find yourself with this family. They are totally opposite from where you were when you escaped Maria."

I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them loosely. "After I left Maria, I stayed with Peter and Charlotte for a while. I was away from Maria, so things got better, but I was still feeding on humans. It was like torture, having to feel everything my victims felt when I fed. I didn't have the lives of the newborns I killed on my conscience anymore, but I was still taking lives. I was depressed and eventually left my friends to strike out on my own. Pete and Char never said anything, but I knew living with me was hard. I also had a hard time dealing with their pity. I hated feeling so out of control and weak."

I paused for a few minutes. This wasn't an easy thing to talk about. It was a part of my life I wished I could forget. I looked over to Johona, who was waiting patiently for me to continue.

"I wandered alone for a few years, until Alice found me."

"The Seer?"

I nodded. "She saw me coming. She had seen Carlisle in a vision and had seen me accompanying her to live with him and his family. It was from Carlisle that I learned about drinking the blood of animals. I didn't even realize it was possible. Alice more/less saved my life. I don't know where I'd be now, if she hadn't found me. We were together for almost a century."

"Wait, you mean you and her were a couple?" Jo asked, sitting up straighter in the tub.

"Yeah. We knew it wasn't going to be a permanent thing. She had seen us eventually being just sibling. It actually surprised me a little how effortless it was to stop thinking of her as a lover and start thinking of her as just a friend and sibling. It must have been a vampire thing. It's hard to explain."

"And it doesn't bother you to see her with Devon?"

"No. It's a little strange, but it's never been uncomfortable. Devon is a great man and exactly the person I would have picked out for Alice. Again, I can't really explain it. It's funny how fate works."

"Wow." Jo said, sliding a little further into the tub, resting her head on the rim. "I will never understand vampires, I guess."

"Me either." I agreed, jokingly. We spent several minutes in silence. I just listened to Jo breath. The rhythm was relaxing.

"So, what do you do all day, now that you're a civilized vampire?" She asked, not looking at me or even opening her eyes.

"Go to highschool or college, depending on what age I'm pretending to be. I'm actually working on getting a psychology degree, at the moment. If I ever get a strong grasp on my blood lust, I might even try to become a therapist of some kind and help people. It'll take a long time to get there, if ever, but at least I have a goal. Not like I'm getting any older."

"Hmm, the god of war helping humans with their emotional problems. Stranger things have happened, I suppose."

I laughed. "Yeah, like you and I once again hanging out in a bathroom together after all this time. The longer I live, the more I've learned to believe in anything."

Johona laughed with me. "You got that right."

We shared another comfortable pause. It really was relaxing being here. Jo was very calming.

"So, tell me. What have you been doing since escaping?" I asked, hoping she didn't mind my curiosity. I did just answer all her questions.

She chuckled to herself softly. "I hate to admit it, but I got into a life of crime when I first tasted freedom. Petty stuff, robbery and the like. How else was a girl suppose to live when her only talents were fighting vampires? That phase only lasted a year or so. After that, I learned to live very zen. I stayed in cat form most of the time. Lived off the land. Still do, for the most part, but I also take jobs at stores and do odd jobs here and there. I don't spend much money, so I've managed to save quite a bit. I kinda live like a nomadic vampire, actually."

"Hmm, sounds lonely." Lonely and sad. I could feel just how lonely she was.

"It is." She said softly. The silence that followed wasn't comfortable anymore. She cleared her throat. "Well, I think I'm ready to get out now. I'll wash my hair when I can actually stand and take a shower. I should smell better, in any case. Can you help me up and hand me a towel?"

I got up, taking a towel from the shelf and placing it on the edge of the tub. I then closed my eyes and helped her to stand and stay standing while she wrapped the towel around herself.

"You can open your eyes." She said. She was once again smiling at me. I could hear someone outside the door, opening it to find Esme standing outside it, timidly.

"You're home, Esme." I looked to Jo. "Do you mind if Esme helps dress you. I've been able to be careful so far, but I doubt I could help you get dressed with my eyes closed. I've managed to be very gentlemanly. I'd hate to mess it up."

"If she doesn't mind."

"Of course not." Esme replied, allowing me to carefully transfer Johona over to her. I watched as they walked slowly to her room.

"Thanks for the help, Jasper. And the talk."

"Your welcome, darlin'." I nodded my head, like I was tipping an imaginary hat, allowing my natural southern accent to come out. She giggled and the women disappeared into the next room.

I went to my room, slightly confused. Johona had felt genuine affection towards me when she thanked me. I knew our feelings towards each other were no longer hostile, but they were now starting to slip towards liking each other. Fondness. They were similar to how Alice and I felt when we first met...interesting.

To Be Continued...


	16. Put to the Test

**Carlisle POV**

I stood outside in the backyard with Edward, Jasper and Johona waiting for Jacob to shift to his wolf. We had built a small room outside for him, so he could store some of his clothes and have a shielded place to phase without having to run through the house or having to tie his clothes to his ankle.

It had been two weeks since our first attempt at treating Johona. The process didn't go very smoothly, but I was hoping the results would be worth the complications. The plan was to have her shift into cat form, run with Jake for a few miles, then come back and shift back to human. Hopefully, she could judge if the treatment had any effect, positive or negative.

Jake appeared from his room and bounced excitedly in front of us. He had been waiting for an opportunity to run with Johona since she arrived. He would never admit it, but I suspected he missed being around other shifters.

"Jake says he's ready when you are." Edward said, serving as translator.

"Excellent." I looked to Johona, who looked a bit nervous, but I could feel Jasper send all of us a few calming waves. "Take your time and get your blood pumping nice and fast. I want this to be as true a test and we can get. Your blood tests show improvement, so with any luck, you should feel improvement as well. I just need you to be completely honest about how you feel."

"You got it, Doc." She replied, taking a deep breath and shifting into her leopard. She stretched, then pounced at Jacob. He hadn't been expecting an attack, so he wasn't ready. I smiled as they playfully rolled around on the ground. I could hear Nessie giggling from inside the house as she watched from the window. Both wolf and leopard were laughing in their own way. After a few minutes both of them stood before us, shaking leaves and dirt off their fur.

"She says the shift from human to cat felt normal." Edward translated. "They're gonna run a few miles north, then run back. Should take them fifteen minutes or so."

"Have fun." I said as they sprinted off. I looked over to Jasper. He had a huge smile on his face. "What has you so happy?"

"Johona is happy. From what she said to me earlier, she normally spends a great deal of time in cat form. I think she was getting a little depressed having to stay human for so long. She's just very happy right now and It's hard not to smile when you feel that kind of strong emotion coming from someone."

I nodded. It had to be interesting being able to feel what others felt. I could see how it could be a blessing and a curse.

We waited patiently for about thirty minutes before we saw them return, both winded from their sprint. Jake headed directly to his room to shift back and Johona stopped right in front of us. This was the moment of truth. She shifted, returning to her human form. You could tell she was still in pain during the process, but was it better than before?

"Hmm. It's still painful, but it was definitely not as intense as before. I think the treatment worked."

"That's good news, I just wish I could figure out a way of making the transfusion process easier on your body. I don't like how long you were out last time. If only there was a way to make the donor blood more compatible with yours."

"What if you used my blood instead of just regular human blood?" Jacob asked, joining us.

"Interesting. That might work. You're blood does have more similarities to Johona's blood than a normal human." I replied. "The only problem is you're not her blood type, but one of your pack mates might be. Do you think any of them might be willing to donate some blood, if one of them is a match?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "I'll give Sam a call. Give me all the specifics about what kind of blood you need. I'm sure if anyone is a match, they would be willing to help. Can't hurt to ask."

We headed into the house to contact Jacob's pack. I could only hope that one of the pack was a match to Johona and would be willing to help.

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**Johona's POV**

I sat alone in a tree probably about a mile from the Cullen's house, just enjoying the quiet sounds of the woods. I was, by far, more comfortable hanging out in nature than in any house. It had been just over a month since my first treatment and within the hour, the blood for my second treatment would be arriving.

Jacob had called his pack with the specifics of my condition and my needs. Less than a week later, it had been determined that two of his pack mates had blood types compatible with mine and both were willing to donate. They should be arriving any minute, so the Doc could run further tests to see which person was the most compatible. Who knew that there were other things besides blood type to consider.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax. The first treatment, though successful, had a rough recovery and I wasn't looking forward to being that weak and helpless again. The theory was that shifter blood would help with the recovery, but Carlisle just didn't know for sure. The uncertainty was nerve racking.

I could hear someone approaching. They were coming in fast, but slowed down as they got closer. I couldn't hear a heartbeat, so it had to be one of the vampires. A few moments later, I could see Jasper standing below my tree. He waited until he was sure I saw him before he jumped up onto the limb I was currently perch on. Smiling, he took a seat a couple of feet from me.

Jasper was the closest thing I had to a friend during this whole treatment thing. I would never had guessed it, but take him away from the killing and the wars and the Major turned out to be a very decent person. He was gentlemanly and considerate. I actually enjoyed his company and found myself drawn to him whenever he was around.

"You OK?" He asked, concerned. I'm sure he could feel my worry. "Worried about the treatment?"

"Not so much the treatment, as the aftermath." I turned to face him. "I don't like feeling weak or helpless. I'm not afraid for my safety, it's just..."

Jasper nodded. "I understand. You don't like being that far out of control of your own self."

I laughed out loud. "You sound like a shrink, Major."

"Well, I am working on a degree in psychology." He gave me a quizzical look. "Do you realize you just called me Major?"

"Wow, I did, didn't I. I'm sorry, I must really be getting comfortable with you. I'm starting to slip into old habits." Back when we were with Maria, I only called him Major. I don't think I ever used his real first name.

"It's OK, I don't mind, it just brings back memories." We sat quietly for a few moments. "For the record, I like that you're getting comfortable around me. I've actually enjoyed having you around. It's nice to have someone to talk to who understands."

"It's nice to have someone to talk to, period." I replied, having a moment of courage. I didn't normally spill my feelings out for people to see, but for some reason, I trusted Jasper. "I've been alone for a very long time."

Jasper scooted closer to me. "You don't have to be alone, Jo. Not anymore."

We sat quietly in a not very comfortable silence for a few moments until Jasper cleared his throat and broke the tension.

"Anyway...Seth and Leah will be here any minute. We should probably get back and be there to greet them."

I smiled at him. "True. They are, after all, giving me some of their blood. I guess I should make the effort to be social."

Jasper reached over and took my hand, squeezing it gently, then released it. "Don't worry. Seth is a great kid, you'll like him. And Leah, well, she'll probably like you, since you're the only other female shifter she'll have ever met. She doesn't like the rest of us much, but I guess she doesn't have to. And the procedure will go fine. Trust me."

We both jumped down from the tree and headed back to the house at a leisurely pace. It was funny. The Major said I could trust him, and amazingly, I believed him.

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To Be Continued...

Sorry for the delay on updating. Hope you enjoyed.


	17. Blood

****I kinda forgot I was this far along with this story. I'm gonna have to buckle down and write a few more chapters, so I can prevent delays in posting. I have enough of those, as it is. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

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**Johona POV**

Jasper had been correct about Seth and Leah.

Seth was super friendly and seemed almost as comfortable with the vampire family as Jake was. He hugged Esme as if she was his own mother and greeted everyone else as if they were family.

Leah, on the other hand, acknowledged the family with a head nod and little else. She greeted me enthusiastically, though. She was so excited to meet another female shifter. It had to be rough being the only chick around a pack full of boys. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Let her spend a few decades totally alone and she might not mind all the male companionship so much.

At least they were friendly and eager to help me. Carlisle did his tests and it was determined that Seth's blood was just a tad more compatible with me than Leah's. Leah seemed kinda relieved at the news. She genuinely wanted to help me, but I think the thought of having blood drawn by a vampire made her uneasy. Even by a vampire as trustworthy and the Doc.

I sat on the medical bed, watching a s Seth's blood was drained into a blood bag. Even when donating blood, the kid was almost too happy and I couldn't even blame Jasper for altering his mood, since the Major had yet to arrive. He had gone hunting and was expected back at any moment to help keep me calm, since we weren't going to use any sedatives this time around. The Major could stay in the room with me doing his mojo during the entire procedure, since there was only going to be shifter blood in the room, which held no attraction to any of the vampires.

Even though I knew I was perfectly safe in Carlisle's hands, I was still extremely nervous. I could almost hear my heart pounding in my ears. I really wished Jasper would just get here already.

A few minutes later, I felt a calming wave hit me. It must have hit Seth as well, since his bouncy exterior seemed to settle down. Jasper walked into the room, smiling. His eyes were the bright liquid gold I had recently learned was a sign of a well fed vegetarian vampire. He smiled at me, taking a seat next to me on the bed.

"How ya doing, Seth?" He asked.

"Doing great. You know, you could totally sell your powers. People would pay good money to feel however they wanted, whenever they wanted. This calming you're doing is like being high..."

Carlisle looked over at the young wolf, eyebrows raised.

Seth blushed. "...or so I've been told. I wouldn't know first hand what it feels like to be high, of course." He corrected. Even Carlisle chuckled at the kid's backpedaling. We could hear Leah snort at the comment from downstairs. It just made us all laugh harder.

"Well, I think we're ready." Carlisle announced, regaining his composure and approaching me with needle in hand. "We have just about enough blood from Seth. All we need to do is get your blood out and we'll see if this little experiment works out."

I laid down on the bed and Jasper moved to the seat beside the bed. The Doc quickly placed the needle in my arm, while I looked into Jasper's eyes for support. I really didn't like seeing needles coming out of me.

"So, Jo, Jake says you knew Jasper when he was a newborn?" Seth asked. Carlisle had started to removed the needle from his arm. He watched the Doc as he did it. Obviously, the kid had no aversion to needles.

"Yes, he was only a few days old when I was captured by Maria." I confirmed.

"So, you and him are the same age? You were around during the civil war."

I nodded. "I was 14 when Jasper was 21, so he's a little older than me, but not by much."

"So you grew up around vampires." Seth asked. This kid was just full of questions.

"I did. But they weren't the fluffy, civilized, vegetarian vamps like you know. They were mostly newborn leeches with little else on their mind than blood and killing. It was a difficult way to spend your formative teenage years, but it was the hand I was dealt and I did the best I could with it. Everything happens for a reason, Seth, even the bad shit."

Seth stood up, but sat back down almost immediately. "Woo, head is swimming."

Carlisle chuckled. "I took a little more blood from you than would normally be taken from a blood donation, since you are a shifter and I knew you could handle it. Let me help you get down to the kitchen. Esme made you some cookies to help build your blood back up."

Seth threw his hands up in the air, like he just scored a touchdown. "Woo Hoo! I love cookies!"

I smiled at the kid, shaking my head, as he allowed Carlisle to help him to stand.

"I'll be right back." The Doc said. "Just try to relax. It should only be a few more minutes."

I nodded, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. Even with Jasper calming me, I was still just a little scared. I didn't like to show my emotions to people and was very good at hiding them, but all my efforts were in vain with an empath sitting next to me. After a few moments, I felt Jasper take my hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, but didn't release it afterwards. I had to admit that it felt nice to have him holding my hand.

"Everything will be OK." He whispered, so no one in the house would hear him but me. "I won't leave your side."

I opened my eyes. Jasper had leaned in close to me, his mouth was only an inch away from my ear. I noticed that his eyes almost looked like there were gold flecks floating in them. My heart quickened just a smidge with the closeness.

"Thank you." I whispered back.

He said everything would be alright and I believed him. I didn't even need my power to see the truth to know it for sure. As long as he was here, I would be safe.

And that scared me.

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To Be Continued...


	18. Optimistic

Chapter 18 is up for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

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**Jasper POV**

I sat with Jo during the procedure, holding her hand gently the entire time. She hide it well on the outside, but she was scared. I could have taken the fear from her, but sometimes you need to feel your emotions in order to deal with a situation, so I comforted her the old fashioned way. She seemed to appreciate it.

Carlisle gave me just a hint of a smile when he returned, hiding it quickly, probably hoping I didn't notice. He was mainly feeling hope. Hope about what, I wasn't sure, but I had my suspicions it pertained to the growing friendship between Jo and I.

If I was being honest with myself, I really didn't know what I was feeling for my new/old friend. I found her companionship comfortable. It was nice to have someone to talk to about my past who could understand and conversations came easily and often between us. She was still a pain the ass, but I now found the trait endearing. And I couldn't deny that she was attractive. It was all very confusing.

I sat quietly with her while she slept, watching over her just as I promised. She looked so peaceful and young. She's had a very rough life, just like I did before I found a home with the Cullens. She deserved a life like the one I had. I found myself hoping she might decide to stay, once her treatments were over.

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**Johona POV**

I woke up slowly. The room was really bright and my head hurt just a little, but as I mentally evaluated my condition, I was happy to find that I really didn't feel too bad. I opened my eyes to find the Doc and Jasper looked down at me.

"Good Morning." Carlisle said, reaching down to move the bed so I was in a seated position. "How do you feel?"

I stretched, noticing that I didn't have an IV in my arm. "Not bad. My head hurts a little, but I feel like I was hit by a small Italian sports car instead of a truck. I don't really feel weak or nauseated, either. How long have I been out."

"Less than a day." Jasper replied, smiling.

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

Carlisle nodded. "It would appear that your body accepted Seth's blood far better than the ordinary human blood. With any luck, it will have helped your condition as well. We should be able to test it out faster than the first time, since I'm estimating that your recovery will be weeks shorter this time around."

"Well good." I said, just as my stomach decided to voice its opinion on my physical status. Everyone in the house probably heard the growl.

Jasper chuckled as he help me stand. "I think our first stop should be the kitchen."

"Probably a good idea." I agreed, using Jasper as support as I judged the strength of my legs. I might need a little help walking, but I was in no risk of dropping to the floor. This made me smile.

We made our way downstairs to find almost the exact scene from the first time we did this. Jake and Nessie were at the table, both eating breakfast, while Esme was working at the stove. This time, however, Emmett and Devon were also at the table. It sounded like they were joking around with Jake.

"Hey, look who's up!" Emmett commented as Jasper set me in a seat next to Jake and Esme placed a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of me. She must have heard my stomach growl, like I suspected.

I looked up at her, smiling. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. Let me know if you want more." She replied, returning to the stove.

"You don't look green this time." Jake said, once again forgetting to keep his mouth closed while he was chewing.

I shrugged. "The kid has good blood." I ate with gusto, finding that I was hungrier than I thought. "Speaking of Seth, where did he go?"

"They had to go home. They had work and school and stuff." Nessie answered, taking her plate to the sink. "But Seth wanted to let you know that if this worked, he'd be here to donate blood as often as he needs to until you're better."

"And by the looks of it, he'll be back soon." Carlisle said, walking into the kitchen. "You're blood looks good. I think we can probably do another transfusion in two weeks, rather than a month. You'll be out of pain in no time."

I smiled at the thought of being back to normal. "Excellent!" I said happily. Deep down, I was actually kinda disappointed. I was surprised to say it, but I was actually enjoying my time here. I had grown to like most of the vampires and for the first time in a very very long time, I felt comfortable and at home.

I wasn't looking forward to leaving this behind.

To Be Continued...


	19. The Fight

Just finished this chapter. Please disregard any typos. Hope you like.

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**Emmett POV**

Jo had been with us for only three months, but she was already acting like one of the family. She had received 4 treatments and was now 100 percent pain free, so her true personality was beginning to shine through. A lot was still being guarded, but you got a glimpse now and then of the person she must have been before Maria enslaved her. Even Rose liked her.

The entire family, minus Carlisle and Esme, were standing on the edge of a clearing in the woods, waiting for the fight to begin.

Since Jo was feeling better, she had begun sparring with us. It was all playful and light, of course, but she was by far the best at fighting. She could shift from cat to human and back again, confusing her opponent. She managed to defeat everyone in the family, even Edward. Edward said that when he fought her, half the time she was fighting on instinct, not using real thought, so he was unable to predict her movements. It was very impressive.

The only person she had yet to spar with was Jasper. They both had reservations about fighting each other, since they were unsure if they could keep it light. They were afraid it could escalate into a real fight.

After a week or so, they had agreed upon a set of rules, which brought us to this moment. Jasper and Johona were about to spar and we're all here to witness it. Both for entertainment and for safety. We'd pull them apart if things went too far.

"So we agree." Jasper said to Jo. "No biting, no dismemberment and no fatal blows. We'll keep track of every move that could have ended in a fatal blow, but we won't follow through."

"Agreed."

The two circled each other a few times, then the fight was on. It was nothing like we'd ever seen before. This wasn't two people sparring and it wasn't light and playful. This was two natural enemies, two trained killers, fighting to the death, without the death. It was almost frightening. Probably a good thing Carlisle and Esme were out hunting. They would both freak out at the spectacle before us.

It was hard to follow. Jasper was faster than Jo, but in cat form, Jo was stronger. It was really hard to tell if they were getting carried away or not, but since there had been no bites and no limbs flying off, we just stood back and watched.

After about 5 minutes or so, they were still fighting. We honestly couldn't tell if anyone was winning. Their fight must have been loud enough to get some attention, since moments later, Carlisle and Esme stepped through the trees, obviously concerned.

"They're just sparring. It's OK." Edward yelled. Answering an unspoken question.

The two of them carefully circled the fighters, joining us.

"How long have they been at it?" Carlisle asked, not taking his eyes off of the pair.

"About 6 or 7 minutes or so. Not sure who's up on points." I said.

Suddenly, the fight stopped. Both of them were rather disheveled. Jo was breathing heavy, but looked far from exhausted. Both were smiling.

"Well, you've learned a few things since we fought together last." Jasper said to Jo.

Jo chuckled. "And you are not nearly as rusty as a civilized vampire should be." She leaned over resting her hands on her knees. "I got 4 hits on you and you got 6 on me, I think."

Jasper shook his head. "I counted 5 times you could have had me and 6 for me. The spin move you did would have been a fatal blow if you went left. You stopped the move before we could know for sure. I count it."

"I'm glad we don't have to fight each other for real." Jo said as they turned to join us. We were all standing quietly, shocked at what we just witnessed.

"That was awesome, how you kept switching forms." Jake commented. "You need to show me some of those moves."

Jo laughed. "I can do that, but remember, my clothes shift with me. You'll be naked if you do the moves. True, the nakedness, in and of itself, would serve as a fighting maneuver. Women would be enthralled with you, since I'm guess you look pretty good naked and I'd think most men would be slightly appalled at fighting a naked man. It could work, as long as you're not shy."

I laughed out loud. "That would certainly distract me. One minute I'm fighting a wolf, then suddenly, bam, naked man. I'd rather not wrestle a naked man, no matter how much I might want him dead."

My reaction made everyone laugh.

I couldn't help but think that Jo would make a wonderful new addition to the family. Jasper seemed to have found a new kind of peace with her around. Edward placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded his agreement to my thoughts.

Now we just had to convince her to stay.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	20. The Offer

Hello happy Fanfiction readers! Thanks to a PM from a reader (you know who you are), concerned I had abandoned this story, here is an update. See what a little love can do? (Not to mention that I hate disappointing people) Not only am I updating with a new chapter, I am proud to say I am almost finished with this story. I've really been on a roll writing chapters. I look forward to posting it all. Thanks to everyone who has been reading/reviewing/following etc. Enjoy!

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**Johona POV**

I once again found myself in a tree several miles away from the Cullen's house. This time, however, I wasn't nervous about some medical procedure, or some kind of trust issue. This time, I was up here contemplating my future.

Shortly after my final blood replacement procedure, Carlisle and Esme sat me down, alone, and asked if I would like to join their family. They made it clear that I would always be welcome among them, even if I didn't choose to stay. I had been adopted, whether I liked it or not.

But, if I was being totally honest with myself, I had to admit, I did like it.

I had grown very fond of the family over the last few months. Particularly fond of one vampire. This, more than anything, was what was preventing me from accepting their offer. The idea that I could actually have genuine, romantic feelings for a vampire scared me to death.

Jasper and I had tried to kill each other on more occasions than I can remember. I had wished for his death more times than I can count. Now, here I was, getting all doe eyed and tingly every time he walked into the room. Not to mention he could feel me get all doe eyed and tingly when he walked into said room.

I wanted to stay here. I missed having a family more than I was comfortable admitting out loud.

I rested my head against the tree, banging it softly. Over the last 140 years, vampires had been the enemy. I had dedicated my life to killing as many as possible. I couldn't live with them. It felt like I was betraying the memory of my parents even considering it.

I stopped banging my head when I heard someone approaching. It sound like a quadruped, so I was guessing it was probably Jake in wolf form. A few minutes later, my theory proved correct, and I was joined in my tree by the wolf, this time in human form.

"What do you want, Jacob?" I asked, not totally rudely, but with enough edge to convey that I didn't want company.

"I was just running around and caught your scent. Thought you might like some company."

He was lying and he knew me enough to know I could tell. I sat quietly, waiting for him to reconsider his statement.

He scoffed. "Fine, I came out to ask why you're not staying with us. You fit in so well and you seem to like everyone and everyone likes you. Rose likes you more than she likes me."

I sighed. "It's not about like or dislike, Jake. I just can't live with vampires. My life was ruined by them. I've been enslaved by them, tortured by them. I'm better off on my own." The reply sounded weak, even to me.

"Bullshit!" Jake spat out. "You could live just fine with them. What you are fighting right now is the simple fact that you've begun to fall for one. You have started to really like Jasper. There is no point in denying it, since Eddie has already picked the thoughts out of your brain."

I growled. "I really hate him."

Jake laughed. "We all really hate him, at times. Doesn't make him any less right."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just forget our past ever happened?"

"Yes."

I rested my head on tree again. "You are just so young, Jake. I wish I could explain things in a way you could understand."

There was a few minutes of silence. Eventually, Jake sighed very loudly and cleared his throat. "At least tell me you won't leave until after my birthday party. The whole pack will be here to celebrate. They want to meet you."

I took my head off the tree and looked at the young man, giving him a small smile. "I'll stay for your party. But afterward, I need to leave. I"ve already lingered too long."

Jake returned my smile, but it wasn't wholehearted. "If it's any consolation, I'm gonna miss having you around. I was getting use to having another shifter in the house."

"I"m sorry, Jake."

The young man said nothing else, just slipped from the tree and started his return journey back to the house. I hated to upset him, but things were the way they were. Someday, he'd understand.

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To Be Continued… (Soon, I promise)


	21. A Surprise Guest

This is a short one, but hope you like anyway.

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**Jasper POV**

I was late for Jake's birthday party, but I wasn't ready to be social just yet. I wasn't ready to be around all those happy people, knowing I couldn't join in with any heart. I didn't want to see all the sad looks from those who understood how I felt and the reasons behind it.

Johona was leaving. I knew she felt something for me, it was plain as day, but she was still leaving. She hadn't told me a reason why, just that she couldn't stay.

For a moment, I had thought I had finally found my soulmate. That one person who would make me feel whole again. Maybe I was just kidding myself. How could it work? We had been enemies for too long to just start loving each other. We had too much history. But, if that was the case, why did it feel like my heart was being ripped out.

I sat for hours, watching the stars as they twinkled in the sky. It was well past midnight when someone finally came out looking for me. I assumed it would be Alice or Bella. They usually were the ones to try to cheer me up when I was having negative emotion overload. To my surprise, it was Edward who entered the little clearing I was seated in.

"Jasper, you need to come with me. Something's happened." His emotions were a mixture of anger, sadness and guilt."

"What's wrong?" I asked, standing and approaching my brother.

Edward said only one word, sending a bolt of anger through me.

"Maria"

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To Be Continued…

Woo Hoo, Cliff hanger. Not to worry, I'll update again soon.


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